Emily's POV
I stood frozen in my doorway, my hand still outstretched toward the empty hallway where Victor had disappeared. The sound of his study door slamming echoed through the mansion.
My legs gave out.
I crumpled against the doorframe, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor, my hands pressed against my face as the sobs tore through me. They came from somewhere deep, somewhere I didn't know existed, raw and broken and completely uncontrollable.
This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real.
"I didn't do it," I whispered into my palms, my voice shaking. "I didn't... I wouldn't..."
But he didn't believe me. He'd looked at me with such hatred, such disgust, and nothing I said had mattered. Nothing.
I forced myself to stand, my whole body trembling. I needed to think. Needed to understand what had happened. Needed to...
My eyes fell on the scattered roses outside my room.
I took a shaky step forward, my breath catching in my throat.
