Chapter 51 – The Hunt
The fire in the great hall crackled low, casting long, twisted shadows across the stone floor. Richard slowly sank back into his chair, shoulders hunched as if crushed beneath an invisible weight.
The great lord of Bennington—proud, unyielding, feared by half the realm—had been reduced to something broken, hollow, his gaze fixed on the flames as if searching for absension he would never find.
William stood frozen, staring at his father. Guilt coiled inside him like a venomous snake, tightening with every breath.
You could have stopped it.
You were the heir.
You had power.
You looked away.
He had once believed the ledger was justice.
That gold could mend what they had shattered. That bringing her home would stitch the family back whole.
But now he understood the brutal, unshakable truth.
Nothing would fix it.
The damage was done.
