Chapter 9

Sarah's POV

The days at Blackwood Mansion were beginning to blend together, a strange cocktail of tension and quiet. The vastness of the house felt both suffocating and isolating, its echoing halls amplifying every doubt I tried to suppress.

Eren had been more attentive since our return, yet it only heightened my suspicions. His gestures—the small kisses on my temple, the hand resting protectively on my lower back, the soft "I love you" whispered when he thought I wasn't paying attention—felt rehearsed, as though he was trying to convince me as much as himself.

Axel, on the other hand, lingered in the background like a storm cloud, his presence inescapable. He didn't say much when we crossed paths, but his silence carried weight, like he was waiting for the right moment to strike.

That moment came one rainy afternoon.

I was in the greenhouse, a glass-paneled room tucked away on the east side of the mansion. It was one of the few places that felt truly mine, a sanctuary where I could escape the whispers of doubt. The air was thick with the scent of damp soil and blooming flowers, and the soft patter of rain against the glass roof was almost soothing.

Almost.

I was pruning a rose bush when I felt it—that prickling awareness that I wasn't alone. I turned, my breath catching as I saw Axel standing in the doorway, his hands tucked into the pockets of his black coat.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

He stepped inside, his boots crunching softly on the gravel path. "I wasn't sneaking. You just weren't paying attention."

I set the pruning shears down, crossing my arms. "What do you want, Axel?"

He tilted his head, studying me like I was a puzzle he was trying to solve. "What do you want, Sarah?"

I frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your life," he said, taking another step closer. "This mansion. Eren. Do you really want any of it?"

I bristled. "Of course I do. Why would you even ask that?"

Axel smirked, but it was a cold, joyless thing. "Because I've been watching you. And I can see it in your eyes—you're not happy here."

"That's not true," I said, though the words felt hollow.

He took another step, and I backed up instinctively, bumping into the edge of the workbench. "Sarah, you don't have to lie to me," he said softly, his voice almost gentle. "I know you better than you think."

I shook my head, my pulse quickening. "You don't know anything about me."

Axel's expression darkened. "Don't I?"

Before I could respond, he reached out, his hand brushing against my cheek. The contact sent a jolt through me, and I froze, my breath hitching.

"Do you know why I warned you about Eren?" he asked, his voice a low murmur. "It's not because I hate him. It's because I care about you."

I stared at him, my mind racing. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that he doesn't deserve you," Axel said, his hand dropping to his side. "He's not who you think he is, Sarah. And deep down, you know that."

"Stop," I said, my voice trembling. "You don't get to come in here and—"

"And what? Tell you the truth?" Axel cut me off, his eyes burning with intensity. "You think you're living in some perfect fairy tale, but you're not. Eren has been lying to you since the day you met him."

"That's enough," I snapped, pushing past him toward the door.

But before I could leave, he grabbed my wrist, pulling me back.

"Sarah," he said, his voice softer now, almost pleading. "You deserve more than this. You deserve someone who sees you, who loves you for who you really are."

I stared at him, my heart pounding. For a moment, I saw something in his eyes—vulnerability, longing. It scared me as much as it intrigued me.

"I love Eren," I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper.

Axel's grip loosened, and he let me go, his expression unreadable.

"Then I hope, for your sake, that he's worth it," he said, stepping aside to let me pass.

---

Eren's POV

The storm outside mirrored the one raging inside me.

I stood in my study, staring out the rain-streaked window as I swirled the whiskey in my glass. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, none of them pleasant.

Sarah had been distant since we returned to the mansion, and I knew why. Axel. He was poisoning her against me, planting seeds of doubt that I couldn't uproot fast enough.

I clenched my jaw, the glass in my hand trembling slightly. Axel had always been a thorn in my side, but this time, he was going too far.

The door creaked open behind me, and I turned to see Luke stepping inside.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked, closing the door behind him.

I nodded, setting the glass down on the desk. "I need you to keep a closer eye on Axel."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "I thought we already were."

"Not close enough," I said, my voice sharp. "He's meddling in things that don't concern him. I want to know what he's doing, who he's talking to—everything."

Luke hesitated, his brow furrowing. "Eren, are you sure this is the best way to handle things? He's your brother."

"He's a liability," I snapped. "And I won't let him ruin this."

"This?" Luke asked, his tone cautious.

"My marriage," I said, my voice lowering. "Sarah doesn't need to know about the past. She doesn't need to know about any of it."

Luke nodded slowly. "Understood."

As he left the room, I turned back to the window, my reflection staring back at me. For a moment, I barely recognized the man I saw.

But I didn't have the luxury of doubt. Not now.

---

Sarah's POV

That night, I couldn't sleep.

The storm had passed, leaving the mansion in an eerie silence that pressed down on me like a weight. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as my thoughts churned.

Axel's words replayed in my mind, intertwining with Eren's phone call from the other night. The cracks in the life I thought I knew were growing wider, and I didn't know how to stop them.

Finally, I got up, pulling on a robe as I padded down the hall. The library was my destination again, its warmth and quiet offering a brief escape from the chaos in my head.

But when I entered, I wasn't alone.

Axel was there, sitting in one of the armchairs with a glass of scotch in his hand. His gaze met mine, and for a moment, neither of us spoke.

"You couldn't sleep either," he said, breaking the silence.

I shook my head, stepping further into the room. "What are you doing here?"

"Thinking," he said simply, gesturing to the empty chair across from him. "Care to join me?"

I hesitated before sitting down.

For a while, we just sat there in silence, the crackling of the fireplace the only sound.

"Why do you care so much?" I asked finally, my voice soft.

Axel looked at me, his expression unreadable. "Because I see what you don't."

"And what's that?"

He leaned forward, his eyes locking onto mine. "That you deserve better."

I didn't know how to respond to that. Part of me wanted to argue, to defend Eren, but another part of me—the part that had been growing louder lately—wasn't so sure.

Axel reached out, his hand brushing against mine. The touch was electric, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Sarah," he said, his voice a low murmur.

I pulled my hand back, my heart pounding. "I should go."

As I stood, Axel rose too, his gaze following me to the door.

I didn't look back as I left the room, but his words stayed with me, intertwining with the storm of doubt in my mind.