Chapter 27

Sarah POV

The Blackwood mansion loomed ahead, its towering silhouette framed by the late afternoon sun. Each step closer felt like a descent into some dark abyss, every shadow holding a secret I wasn't sure I wanted to uncover. The threat Zeke and I had received at the café echoed in my mind, a warning that felt too real now that I was here again.

I tightened my coat around myself as the chill bit into my skin. The sleek black car I'd noticed earlier had vanished, but the memory of its tinted windows and ominous presence lingered. My every instinct screamed at me to turn back, to run, but I forced myself to keep walking. Zeke's words replayed in my head like a mantra: Keep your head down. Play it safe.

Inside, the mansion was as I'd left it, eerily quiet but thrumming with an energy I couldn't name. The faint scent of lavender and aged wood mixed with the sharp tang of anxiety that clung to me.

"Mrs. Blackwood," a voice interrupted my thoughts.

I jumped, spinning around to see Mrs. Hargrove, the other housekeeper, standing in the foyer. Her face was as impassive as ever, her hands folded neatly in front of her.

"You startled me," I said, trying to keep my tone light.

"My apologies," she replied, though there was no remorse in her clipped tone. "Your absence this morning was noted. Is everything alright?"

There it was-subtle, but enough to set me on edge. I'd told no one I was leaving. Had they already noticed? Were they watching me more closely than I realized?

"Just went to see a friend," I said, forcing a smile. There was no need to lie or make them suspicious if they were watching me.

She regarded me for a moment, her sharp gaze seeming to pierce through my façade. Finally, she gave a curt nod. "Very well. Dinner will be served at the usual time."

As she turned and walked away, I exhaled slowly.

---

The hours stretched long as I holed up in my room, pacing the plush carpet as I replayed the events of the day. Zeke's discoveries had opened a door I couldn't close, revealing glimpses of a world I'd barely begun to understand.

My parents. The Blackwoods. Their entangled history.

And now, the threat.

A knock at the door startled me from my thoughts. My heart leapt into my throat as I crossed the room, my hand hovering over the doorknob. When I opened it, I found Axel standing there, his expression unreadable.

"Sarah," he said softly, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. He closed the door behind him, his presence filling the room like a storm cloud. "We need to talk."

His words sent a jolt of unease through me. "What about?"

He hesitated, his dark eyes searching mine. For a moment, I thought I saw something like regret flicker across his face, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"Where were you today?"

I stiffened, my pulse quickening. "Out. Why?"

"You didn't tell anyone you were leaving," he said, his tone measured but laced with something I couldn't quite place. "That's not like you."

"I didn't think I needed permission to see a friend," I replied, forcing steel into my voice.

"You don't," he said quickly, almost defensively. "But with everything going on, it's not safe to go off on your own."

His concern might have seemed genuine if I didn't know better. "What do you mean, everything going on? What aren't you telling me, Axel?"

He opened his mouth to reply but hesitated. For the first time, he looked unsure of himself, his usual confidence replaced by a flicker of vulnerability.

"I can't," he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. "Not yet."

"Then why are you here?" I demanded, my frustration boiling over. "To warn me? To control me? Or is this just another way to keep me in the dark?"

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might lash out. But instead, he stepped closer, his voice low and urgent. "Sarah, you don't understand the stakes here. If you keep digging into things you're not supposed to, you're going to get hurt. Or worse."

The words hit me like a blow, but I refused to back down. "Then help me understand. Tell me the truth."

He shook his head, his expression torn. "It's not that simple."

"Nothing in this house ever is," I muttered.

For a long moment, we stood in silence, the tension between us thick and suffocating. Finally, Axel sighed and turned toward the door.

"Just be careful," he said over his shoulder. "Please."

And then he was gone, leaving me more confused and angry than ever.

---

Dinner that evening was a strained affair. Eleanor presided over the table like a queen, her every gesture deliberate and calculated. Eren sat beside her, his attention fixed on his plate as if the food held the answers to the universe. Axel was absent, a fact that both relieved and unnerved me.

"Sarah," Eleanor said suddenly, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "You seem distracted. Is something on your mind?"

I froze, every instinct screaming at me to tread carefully. "Just tired," I said with a forced smile. "It's been a long day."

"Hmm," she murmured, her sharp gaze lingering on me a moment too long. "Perhaps you should rest. The coming days will demand much of you."

The cryptic remark sent a chill down my spine, but I nodded and returned to my meal, determined not to give her any reason to suspect me.

---

Later that night, I couldn't sleep.

The mansion felt alive in the darkness, its creaks and groans whispering secrets I wasn't meant to hear. I sat by the window, staring out at the moonlit gardens below, my mind racing with everything Zeke had uncovered.

Whoever had sent that threat wasn't bluffing. They were watching, waiting for me to slip up. But if the Blackwoods thought fear would stop me, they were wrong.

I would find the truth. No matter the cost.

As the clock struck midnight, I made a decision.

It was time to take control of my fate.