IVY'S POV
The whispers grew quieter but more suffocating, wrapping around me like invisible chains that squeezed the air from my lungs. My knees trembled so violently I could feel them threatening to buckle beneath me at any second. I was barely holding myself together.
Nicholas stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. He grabbed my wrist with bruising force, fury blazing in his dark eyes as he repeated the question, his voice low and lethal.
"Who are you, woman?"
My mouth opened, trembling, but no words came out. What could I possibly say? That I had thought I was escaping? That I had blindly trusted a note from the only person who had ever been kind to me, only to end up bound by blood to him? A heavy lump rose in my throat, making it almost impossible to swallow. Tears stung my eyes, but I fought them back, terrified of showing any more weakness.
Nicholas wasn't having it. He released my wrist and turned sharply toward my father, his fury radiating like heat from a flame.
