Chapter 333

The summerhouse stood eerily silent as Liam Blackwood and Evelyn Carter approached. Not a single staff member was in sight.

Liam knocked firmly before pushing the door open with deliberate slowness.

Darkness swallowed the interior completely. An unsettling stillness hung in the air, broken only by their own breathing.

Evelyn and Rosalind Baskins, who had been admiring the gardens moments before, now shivered at the sudden temperature drop.

"Get out!" A gravelly voice roared from the shadows, raw with exhaustion and pain.

Evelyn jumped instinctively, her fingers tightening around Liam's forearm in reflex.

Liam glanced down at her hand before covering it gently with his own.

The faint light from the doorway revealed only the silhouette of a figure hunched in the corner.

"Donovan. It's Liam," he announced, stepping forward with Evelyn close behind.

Summoning courage, Evelyn called out, "Donovan, I've come to see you."

A deafening crash shattered the silence.

Rosalind clapped hands over her ears while Evelyn pressed closer to Liam. Drawing a shaky breath, she kept her gaze fixed on the darkness.

Liam gave Evelyn's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before addressing his brother. "Donovan, I brought Cassandra to visit. We're not here to upset you. Please let us stay."

"I said LEAVE!" Donovan's voice cracked like thunder, the anguish in it reminiscent of a wounded animal facing its end.

Another violent crash followed - the sound of shattering glass and toppling furniture.

A vase exploded near Evelyn's feet, sending shards skittering across the floor.

Liam swiftly pulled her back from the doorway.

Rosalind stood frozen, eyes wide as she stared into the abyss of the room.

Was this really the same man she'd heard stories about?

"Donovan, calm down," Liam said softly. "We'll come back when you're ready."

He closed the door with finality.

Turning, Liam found Evelyn's eyes shimmering with unshed tears. The sight caught him off guard.

Her pulse raced as she whispered, "What's happened to Donovan?"

Liam guided them away from the summerhouse to a nearby gazebo.

Rosalind joined them, propping her chin on folded hands as she studied Liam's expression.

His face darkened with sorrow. "Physically, Donovan survived. But what remains is worse than death."

"He resents us for saving him. Hates that we denied him a warrior's end."

Evelyn's heart ached. "But life is precious. What could matter more than that?"

Liam's lips pressed into a thin line. "For him, living is the torture."

"Why?" Evelyn wiped at her cheeks.

"His corneas were destroyed - permanent blindness. Spinal nerve damage left him paralyzed." Liam's voice grew thick. "There are still shards near his heart too dangerous to remove. The pain never stops."

Evelyn covered her mouth. Rosalind paled visibly.

Liam's eyes reddened as he continued, voice breaking. "But it's not the physical wounds destroying him. It's his first love."

Evelyn's throat burned. She couldn't speak past the lump forming there.

Rosalind frowned. "After everything, he still pines for her?"

Liam's expression turned grim. "She's the one who betrayed him."

"No!" Rosalind gasped.

Evelyn stared at Liam in shock.

That ring Donovan clung to as he lay dying - hadn't it symbolized true love? How could it end in betrayal?