#Chapter 239: Forgiveness

Audrey Erik and Stella stood in the doorway like ghosts that never should have returned to this plane of existence. Stella’s expression was as frosty as ever, making no attempt to hide the disdain in her icy gaze. Her lips were pressed into a tight, unmoving line, and her hands, clasped primly in front of her, were the only sign of restraint. I knew she remained silent not out of choice but because of Edwin’s Alpha command that had muted her since the charity gala. Still, her silence felt more ominous than any words she could have spoken. Erik, in contrast, looked… Empty. Hollowed out. As if some essential part of him had been scraped away since we had last seen him. His skin had taken on a pallor, and his eyes—those same eyes that had once burned with cruelty and cold calculation—darted nervously between Edwin and me, unable to settle for more than a second. Fear. Regret. Shame. Those were not the emotions I felt, but rather the emoti