Chapter 3 - The Vow on the Marble
A cold, heavy stillness settled over Evelyn's spine, replacing the initial shock with a burning, unyielding rage. The sorrow that had threatened to drown her melted away, leaving behind a sharp, crystalline clarity. She looked up slowly, her eyes sweeping across the sea of impassive, aristocratic faces staring down at them.
The guests didn't flinch. To them, Evelyn was merely an uninvited ghost from the past, a tragic mistake brought into their inner sanctum. But as her gaze locked onto the crowd, her wet eyes hardened into flint.
She turned back to her daughter, cupping Sophie's chin gently with her left hand, lifting the girl's tear-streaked face until their eyes met.
"Look at me, Sophie," Evelyn commanded softly, her voice remarkably steady despite the storm raging inside her chest. "Look at me right now."
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Sophie choked back a breath, her big brown eyes focusing on her mother's face through a veil of tears.
"You are safe," Evelyn said, leaning in until their foreheads almost touched. "I hear you, and I believe you. Nobody in this room is ever going to hurt you again. Do you hear me? Never."
