The mansion felt colder with every passing day. Each hallway seemed to stretch longer, darker, as if the walls themselves were closing in on me. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was walking in circles, trapped in a labyrinth with no way out. The Vancourt family was everywhere—their eyes watching, their presence heavy and suffocating. But it wasn't just the curse that haunted me anymore; it was the sense that something far more dangerous was lurking within the family itself.
I was sitting in one of the mansion's many drawing rooms when it happened. The sun had barely started to dip behind the distant hills, casting the room in a dim, golden light. I had been trying to think, trying to make sense of everything I had learned so far, when the door creaked open just a crack.
At first, I thought it was one of the servants, but then I saw her: Thalia Vancourt, Ryker's daughter. She stepped into the room quietly, her eyes darting nervously around as if making sure no one else was watching.
I had never spoken to her much—Ryker kept her hidden away, a mere shadow in the grand scheme of things. Thalia was a mystery to me, her beauty cold and distant, her demeanor always tense and cautious. But now, standing before me in the fading light, she looked different—nervous, vulnerable even. The weight of something unsaid hung in the air.
She closed the door behind her and approached me with caution, her voice a whisper. "Jemima, I need to talk to you."
I raised an eyebrow, surprised. "About what?"
Thalia glanced over her shoulder once more before speaking. "About my father. About the family... about everything."
She paused, taking a deep breath as though gathering the courage to say what had clearly been eating at her. "I can't stand it anymore," she continued, her voice shaking slightly. "I don't know how much longer I can be a part of it."
Her words were a punch to the gut. What did she mean? Was she talking about the curse? The family's dark rituals?
"Thalia, what are you talking about?" I asked, my voice low, cautious.
She bit her lip, looking like she was fighting against some invisible force. "You don't know what it's like," she said, almost to herself. "My father... he's suffocating. The Vancourts, this family—they're bound to things you can't even imagine. They've been performing these... these rituals for generations. Sacrifices, deals with things you can't even begin to comprehend."
I stared at her, feeling my stomach twist into knots. She was talking about the very things I'd been trying to understand—things I'd heard about from Imara, things I'd glimpsed in Sage's diary. But hearing Thalia, someone so close to Ryker, admit it aloud made the horror of it all real in a way I couldn't ignore.
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, my voice trembling despite my attempts to stay steady.
She lowered her voice, almost to a whisper. "Because you don't deserve to be part of this. You don't deserve to be caught in the middle of something you can't escape." Her eyes met mine, desperate, almost pleading. "You can't escape it, Jemima. No one can. Not even me."
Her words hung in the air, chilling me to my core. "What do you mean? You're his daughter. You've been in this family your whole life. Surely there's a way—"
Thalia's face twisted in pain. "I've tried, Jemima. I've tried to run. But my father's control is... it's suffocating. I'm nothing more than a puppet to him, a pawn in his game. The family, the curse—it's all too strong." She shuddered as though the words themselves were poison. "If I try to leave... If I try to break free... I know what'll happen. I'll be consumed by it, just like everyone else."
I could hear the raw fear in her voice, and for a moment, I felt a spark of empathy. Thalia was trapped. She had been, perhaps for her entire life. But it didn't make sense—why was she confiding in me? Why now?
"I don't know why I'm telling you all this," she muttered, running a hand through her hair. "Maybe because... maybe because you're the only one who's brave enough to do what I couldn't."
Her words struck a chord in me, but I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something wasn't right. Thalia had spent her whole life in this mansion, under her father's control. Why would she be helping me now? Was she really trying to help, or was she using me to get something she wanted?
"Why would you help me?" I asked, suspicion creeping into my voice. "You've been part of this family, part of this curse. Why trust me?"
Thalia's face tightened, her gaze dropping to the floor for a moment. "Because," she said softly, "I want to get out. I want to escape this place. But I can't. I can't do it alone."
Her words were vulnerable, raw. It was like I was seeing a side of Thalia I never knew existed—one that was afraid, just like me. And despite the doubts that still lingered in my mind, I couldn't ignore the connection between us. We were both trapped, both yearning for a way out.
"I don't know how to break the curse," I said, feeling a mix of frustration and hopelessness. "But I have to try. For my children. For Sage."
Thalia nodded, her expression softening. "I don't have the answers either. But I know this—if you push my father, if you keep digging into this family's past, you'll be putting yourself in danger. He won't stop until he has you under his control. And he will destroy anyone who tries to take it from him."
Her warning hung in the air, thick with truth. Ryker wouldn't stop, not for anything. The thought of it made my skin crawl. But I couldn't back down. Not now.
"I won't stop," I said, my voice firm, determined. "I can't. My children need me to fight."
Thalia's eyes flickered with something like admiration, but there was also fear in them. "Just be careful. There are things you don't understand, Jemima. Things that can break you before you even know it."
With that, she turned and walked out, leaving me with more questions than answers. But one thing was clear: Thalia wasn't just some spoiled daughter of a powerful man—she was a woman desperate for a way out, and maybe, just maybe, she was the key to understanding the curse.
As the door closed behind her, I was left standing in the room, the weight of her warning heavy on my shoulders. Could I trust her? Could I trust anyone in this house?
All I knew for sure was that the Vancourt family was far darker than I had ever imagined—and if I was going to get my children out of this alive, I was going to need to find a way to confront Ryker and the curse once and for all.