Chapter 8

OLIVIA’S POV Dominic was silent for a long time, his brow furrowed as he deliberated. Everyone was waiting for his order, each and every stilled on him. Each second that passed felt like a blade carving deeper into my chest. I wanted to scream at him, to make him see the truth—that I wasn’t a liar, that I wasn’t a murderer, that I had never betrayed him. I was always right beside him. I was not the person she claimed me to be. But did that even matter? What was I hoping for? That Dominic would suddenly see the truth? That he would stand by my side and tell everyone that Evelyn was lying? That, for once, I wouldn’t be the villain in his eyes? But hadn’t he already proven where his loyalty lay? Hadn’t he always believed Evelyn over me? I was nothing more than a shadow in his life, a placeholder for someone he truly cared about. Even breathing in Evelyn’s direction had always meant punishment for me. So, when he finally spoke, a short-lived relief washed over me. "No! Execution is not the