Sarah POV
The morning sun filtered through the heavy curtains of my room, casting long beams of light across the ornate rug beneath my feet. The mansion was quieter than usual, its oppressive silence making every sound seem sharper, every movement more noticeable. But that didn't matter to me—not today. I had a plan.
I'd spent the entire night turning over the fragments of information I'd gathered. My mind was a whirlwind of questions and suspicions, each more disturbing than the last. My parents. The Blackwoods. The women in the chamber. And Axel—his strange behavior, his veiled warnings. Everything was connected, and I needed answers.
But the Blackwoods' world was an impenetrable fortress, their secrets buried beneath layers of lies and manipulation. If I wanted the truth, I would have to go beyond these walls. I would need someone I could trust. Someone who knew how to uncover what others wanted to keep hidden.
Zeke.
Zeke had been my best friend for years, long before my life had become entangled with the Blackwoods. He was a genius with computers, a self-taught hacker who thrived in the shadows of cyberspace. More than that, he was the one person in the world I trusted completely. He didn't just know my past; he'd been a part of it. When my parents died, Zeke had been there to pick up the pieces. He knew the version of me that I had buried when I married Eren and stepped into this twisted life.
I couldn't keep him in the dark anymore. Not when the weight of these secrets was suffocating me.
---
I dressed carefully, choosing simple clothes that wouldn't draw attention: dark jeans, a plain black sweater, and a long coat to shield me from the crisp autumn air. Pulling my hair into a loose ponytail, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My pale face, shadowed eyes, and thin lips set in a grim line were a far cry from the woman I used to be.
With a deep breath, I slipped out of my room and moved through the mansion with practiced stealth. The walls seemed to whisper as I passed, taunting me with the invisible threads that held this place together. Each room I avoided felt like it might contain something sinister, hidden just out of sight. I kept my movements deliberate, discreet. To anyone watching, I was just another quiet shadow in the labyrinth of the Blackwood estate, not a woman on the verge of rebellion.
I wasn't even sure if this was rebellion. All I knew was that I had to act.
---
The café Zeke had chosen was a sharp contrast to the Blackwood world—small, rustic, and utterly ordinary. As I stepped inside, the scent of fresh coffee and the low hum of conversation wrapped around me like a protective cloak. For the first time in weeks, I felt a flicker of something I hadn't dared entertain: hope.
Zeke sat in the corner booth, just as he'd said he would, his laptop open and a cup of coffee forgotten beside him. His appearance hadn't changed in the years since college—his unruly hair still looked like it fought back against any attempts at taming, and his hoodie was one I distinctly remembered teasing him about. But his face, usually so quick to light up with mischief, was serious as he looked up and saw me.
"Sarah."
My name wasn't just a greeting; it was a question, a statement, and a warning all wrapped into one.
I slid into the booth across from him, my coat brushing against the cracked leather seat. For a moment, we just looked at each other, the weight of everything unsaid settling between us.
"You look terrible," he finally said, his voice low. "What's going on?"
I tried to smile, but it felt brittle. "Thanks, Zeke. Really boosting my confidence here."
He didn't laugh. His eyes searched mine, and I saw the concern there, sharp and genuine. "I mean it, Sarah. You're scaring me. What happened?"
I took a deep breath, glancing around the café. The people nearby seemed lost in their own worlds, but paranoia clung to me like a second skin.
"Zeke," I began, my voice barely above a whisper, "I don't even know where to start."
"Start at the beginning," he said simply. "I'm here."
---
And so, I did.
The words spilled out of me in a tangled mess, each revelation heavier than the last. I told him everything—the strange circumstances of my marriage to Eren, the ominous warnings from Axel, Eleanor's probing questions, and the chilling discovery of the hidden chamber. I didn't hold back, not this time.
As I spoke, Zeke's expression shifted from concern to shock, then to something darker. His hands, which usually fidgeted restlessly, were still as they rested on the edge of the table. When I finished, the silence between us felt deafening.
"Holy hell, Sarah," he finally said, his voice barely audible. "You've been living in a nightmare."
"I know," I whispered.
"And you didn't call me? Not once?"
"I didn't know who to trust," I admitted. "Zeke, they're everywhere. The Blackwoods… they have a way of making you doubt everything and everyone."
"You never have to doubt me," he said firmly.
The conviction in his voice made my chest ache. Zeke had always been my constant, my rock. And yet, I'd pushed him away in my attempt to survive this ordeal alone.
"I'm sorry," I said, my throat tight. "I should have called you sooner."
He waved off the apology, leaning back in his seat. "Forget it. We're here now. What do you need me to do?"
"I need answers," I said, the words coming out stronger than I expected. "I need to know who the Blackwoods really are and I need to know if my parents were connected to them."
"Alright," he said, his fingers already moving toward his laptop. "But Sarah, you need to understand something. Families like the Blackwoods? They don't just have skeletons in their closets. They've got whole graveyards. If I start digging, I'm going to hit walls—legal, digital, and probably some weirder ones too."
"I don't care," I said. "I need to know the truth, Zeke. Whatever it takes."
---
For a while, the only sound between us was the rapid tapping of Zeke's fingers on the keyboard. He was in his element now, navigating encrypted databases and obscure forums with a practiced ease that almost made me forget how dangerous this was.
"They've got layers of protection, just like I thought," he said, his eyes scanning the screen. "But there's something interesting here. The Blackwoods own a ridiculous number of shell companies. And get this—some of them are tied to industries that don't make sense for an old-money family."
"Like what?"
"Biotech, private security, pharmaceuticals," he listed off. "It's like they're diversifying, but not in a normal way. It's almost like they're preparing for something."
The words sent a chill down my spine. "Preparing for what?"
"Not sure yet," he said, his fingers still flying across the keyboard. "But there's something else. Some of these companies are linked to offshore accounts. And those accounts… they're connected to your mom's old consultancy."
My breath caught. "What? How?"
"Look here," he said, turning the laptop toward me. On the screen was a web of connections—names, companies, and accounts linked by faint lines that formed a dizzying network. "Margaret Delray Consulting handled accounts for several Blackwood subsidiaries. But after your parents' deaths, someone wiped the records clean. It's like they never existed."
My mind raced, fragments of memories bubbling to the surface. My mother's late nights at her desk, the phone calls she always took in hushed tones, the way her smile would falter when she thought no one was looking.
"Zeke," I said, my voice shaking, "do you think my parents' deaths… weren't an accident?"
He hesitated, his gaze meeting mine. "It's starting to look that way, Sarah. But I can't say for sure. Not yet."
---
Before I could respond, a small window popped up on Zeke's screen, accompanied by a soft beep. His expression darkened as he read the message.
"What is it?" I asked, leaning closer.
"Someone just tried to trace my IP," he said, his voice tight.
My stomach dropped. "What does that mean?"
"It means we've got company," he said, already moving to counter the attack. "Whoever it is, they're good. And they've got resources."
"The Blackwoods?"
"Probably," he said, his fingers flying across the keyboard. "Or someone working for them. Either way, they know someone's looking."
A cold wave of fear washed over me. "Zeke, we can't stop now. Not when we're this close."
He didn't reply immediately, his focus locked on the screen. After a tense minute, he sat back with a sigh. "Alright. I've shut them out for now. But Sarah, you need to be careful. Whoever's behind this? They're playing for keeps."
His laptop pinged on the table, and he frowned. When he read the screen, his face went pale.
"What is it?" I asked, my voice barely audible.
"It's an encrypted message," he said. "No sender info."
"What does it say?"
He tapped on it, and a single line of text appeared:
"Stop digging, or you'll regret it."
---
The café felt suddenly too small, the walls pressing in on me as the weight of that threat settled in my chest.
"Do they know I'm here?" I whispered.
"No," Zeke said firmly. "But we need to be smart about this."
"What do we do now?"
He hesitated, his gaze serious. "I'll keep digging, but I need to do it from somewhere secure. And you…"
"What?"
"You need to go back to the mansion and act like everything's normal."
"No," I said, the word coming out sharper than I intended. "I can't just go back there and pretend like I don't know anything."
"You have to," he insisted. "If they suspect you're onto them, they'll close ranks. And if they're willing to send threats like this? They won't stop at just words."
I swallowed hard, the enormity of what we were up against pressing down on me.
"Sarah," Zeke said softly, "I've got your back. But you need to trust me on this. Go back, keep your head down, and let me handle the digging. We'll figure this out together."
---
As I left the café, the weight of everything we'd uncovered hung heavy in the air. A sleek black car idled across the street, its tinted windows reflecting the world around it. I tried not to look directly at it but it felt like I was being watched.