Stella's pulse hammered in her ears as she stepped back, her mind reeling from the truth she had just uncovered. She had been looking at her mother all along, and now, in the midst of this revelation, danger closed in from all sides. Her fingers trembled, reaching instinctively for the knife she had dropped, but before she could retrieve it, a low, menacing chuckle filled the air behind her.
She spun around, her heart sinking when she saw the familiar face stepping out of the shadows: William.
"So, now you know," William sneered, his lips curling into a cruel smile. His dark eyes gleamed with amusement, feeding off Stella's shock. "You always were so eager to uncover the truth, but I bet you never expected it to hit quite this hard."
