"Mathias, is it because Miss Hale thinks I stole you from her that she wants to destroy me?"
"But the only person I love is you."
"If another man dares to touch me, I’d rather die!"
Before the weight of her words could settle, she snatched the knife from the floor, its sharp edge glinting under the dim light as she aimed it at her own heart.
A sharp clang echoed through the room as Mathias knocked it from her grasp.
The blade clattered to the ground, forgotten, while Nathalia collapsed into a fit of sobs, her frail frame trembling violently.
My pulse pounded in my ears as Mathias turned to me, hesitation flickering in his eyes. I could see it, his faith in me hanging by a fragile thread, ready to snap at the slightest pull.
I opened my mouth, desperate to defend myself. But before I could utter a single word, the sound of a door swinging open shattered the tension.
A middle-aged man, pot-bellied and balding, stepped out in nothing but a bathrobe, rubbing his damp scalp with a towel. His voice rang out with casual familiarity.