At the multimillionaire’s wife’s funeral, a homeless girl pointed at the casket and screamed, “She’s not dead! I saw him lock her in!” The husband sneered, “Get this lunatic out of here.” But when the lock broke and the lid slid open, what lay inside made the entire crowd freeze in terror…

yet to come.

Chapter 5: The Empire’s Shadow

Weeks passed, and the brutal storm that had battered our lives gave way to a fragile, cautious dawn.

Saint Aurelia moved on, as cities do, digesting the scandal with ravenous appetite before searching for the next. The corrupt police chief quietly resigned. Rurik’s frantic cooperation in court earned him a reduced continue reading …