Rhea stared at the portrait above the fireplace.
The woman's face was beautiful—heart-shaped, with porcelain skin and softly curved lips. But her eyes…
They were cold.
Unforgiving.
Alive in a way that made Rhea's skin crawl.
Adrian walked closer to the painting, his shoulders tense, as if the memory itself weighed on him.
"Her name was Lilith Gray," he said quietly. "My first wife."
Rhea felt a strange mix of shock and dread. "Is she the one… who whispered to me?"
Adrian didn't answer right away.
He simply nodded.
Rhea's breath hitched. "But… how? She looked—alive."
"She died," Adrian said, voice flat. "But she didn't leave."
Rhea felt cold. "Adrian… what happened to her?"
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"She wasn't like you. Lilith didn't come into this house with innocence. She came with ambition. Power. Darkness."
He paused as if gathering strength.
"She was born into a family of occult practitioners. Her entire bloodline believed in binding souls and forcing loyalty. When she married into the Knight family, she wanted more than wealth."
"What more could she want?" Rhea whispered.
"Control," Adrian answered.
"Over me. Over my family. Over everything."
He moved to the bookshelf, pulling out an old leather journal.
"She practiced forbidden rituals. At first I didn't know. I thought she was just… distant. Cold. But one night, I found her in this room—alone—with candles, symbols, blood, and a spell meant to bind my soul to hers."
Rhea's stomach tightened.
"Bind… your soul?"
Adrian met her eyes.
"She wanted me to love her forever. To never leave. To never look at another woman. And when I confronted her, she didn't stop."
He opened the journal to a page filled with dark red ink.
"She cursed me."
Rhea stepped closer.
"What kind of curse?"
"A bride's curse," he said softly.
"One that binds me to her even after death. And any woman who marries me becomes a target. She appears to them. Torments them. Drives them mad."
Rhea's pulse raced.
"How many… wives did you have after her?"
Adrian looked away.
"Two."
Rhea felt her throat close. "And what happened to them?"
He let the journal fall shut.
"Lilith happened."
Silence filled the room.
"She doesn't kill them directly," Adrian said. "She frightens them. Haunts them. Possesses their dreams. Until they can't stay anymore. They leave—or they lose themselves."
Rhea felt a cold shiver run down her spine.
"Is that what she wants with me?"
"No," Adrian said, taking a step toward her.
"She wants worse."
Rhea backed up slightly, fear settling in her chest.
"Then why… why did you marry me? Why bring me here?"
Adrian's expression softened—just a little.
"Because you were already in danger," he said. "Arhaan was going to destroy you. And Lilith—"
He hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully.
"—She reacts differently to women who come to me broken. She… watches them first."
Rhea swallowed hard.
"So I'm safe?"
Adrian looked at her with a truth so raw it made her stomach drop.
"No one in this house is ever truly safe."
Rhea's lips parted, her chest tightening with a fear she hadn't known existed.
"But I will protect you," Adrian added firmly.
He stepped closer, his voice low.
"I won't let her touch you. Or take you. Or break you. Not like the others."
Rhea felt emotion tighten her throat. Fear… but also something else.
Trust.
Dangerous, fragile trust.
"Adrian…" she whispered. "Why me?"
He looked at her with an expression she couldn't read—soft, troubled, almost longing.
"Because," he said quietly, "for the first time… the curse reacted before you even entered the house."
Rhea's eyes widened.
"What does that mean?"
Adrian took her hand gently.
"It means Lilith feared you."
Rhea's breath trembled.
"Why? Why would she fear me?"
Adrian's voice dropped, heavy with a secret.
"Because you are the first woman who might actually break the curse."
The candles flickered violently—as if someone else in the room heard him and did not like it.