Chapter 74: Fury

I stand at the bottom of the stairs, the cold stone beneath my feet grounding me as the fury builds inside, rising like a storm. My hands are clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms. I barely feel the pain. It's drowned out by the inferno burning in my chest.

Noelle's tear-streaked face keeps flashing before my eyes, the trembling in his voice as he asked me if I loved him—if I would leave him. The sheer terror and heartbreak in his words. My star, my everything, had been reduced to that? By what? By who?

My breathing is slow, controlled, but the rage beneath it is simmering, threatening to break free. I force my body to stay calm, every muscle tensed, my heart beating in my ears, a steady rhythm of barely contained fury.

I look up, my gaze locking on the nearest guard standing by the doorway. He flinches under my stare, straightening up immediately. His hand shifts nervously to the hilt of his sword as if it could protect him from what's coming.