Retribution.
For someone who had endured unbearable suffering, the idea of revenge could feel intoxicating. The thought of returning even a fraction of the pain to the one who caused it carried a strange sense of relief.
But no one ever spoke about the emptiness that followed.
No one warned about the hollow ache that settled deep inside once it was over.
Peace did not arrive so easily.
The wounds carved by years of torment could not disappear with a single act of vengeance. The storm had raged too long, and the destruction it left behind could not simply vanish.
Healing took time.
Years.
Maybe even lifetimes.
Jacqueline sat curled in the window seat, staring out at the vast stretch of sky beyond the glass. Damien had brought her back to the mansion earlier, and since then she had locked herself away in her room.
She didn't have the strength to face Mathieu.
After everything that had happened, how could she?
