Scarlett (Second Edition) by Karima Saad Usman novel Chapter 194

“Kimberly, ma’am,” she answered, her voice trembling with barely disguised fear. The way she stood, the way she looked at me-it was all so painfully

obvious. She was terrified.

“I want everyone out of this kitchen now while I fix myself something to eat,” I said, my tone leaving no room for negotiation. I didn’t trust them. I didn’t

want them near me. It was better this way, better they knew exactly where we stood.

They began to scatter immediately, abandoning their tasks and leaving the room as if it were on fire.

Kimberly hesitated for a moment, trying to stand her ground. “Will you need some assistance, Luna?” she asked, her voice polite but strained.

I turned to look at her, giving her a stare that carried the weight of all my anger and mistrust. I didn’t need to say a word. That one look was enough to let her know her question didn’t deserve an answer. She nodded in understanding and left without another word.

I didn’t feel sorry for her or for any of them. They had all been there when Bianca spun her web of lies, and in my mind, they had all played a part in it.

and I had no Maybe they helped her, maybe they didn’t-but their silence made them complicit. Whatever kindness I once reserved for them was gone, intentions of offering it back.

Turning my attention to the freezer, I reached for a t-bone steak. The craving hit me like a force of nature: meat and mashed potatoes, simple yet satisfying. No veggies. Just rich, creamy mashed potatoes drenched in thick gravy to pair with the steak. It was exactly what I needed.

I set to work, but before I could lose myself in the task, Clay’s voice broke through the silence.

Where are you?

His words came to me, a whisper in my mind. It startled me slightly, but I quickly pushed that feeling aside. I had assumed he’d be too busy sorting out the chaos left behind from the battle. Clearly, I was wrong.

“In the kitchen making myself something to eat,” I replied simply, my tone/neutral. His response was silence, and I frowned, wondering what his problem was. My gut told me Maxwell had already told him about my decision not to leave. I wasn’t surprised-Maxwell didn’t strike me as the kind of person who kept things to himself for long.

The memory of the nightmare flickered in my mind, unbidden. The image of Clay and Maxwell-their broken bodies, the sound of my own screams-flashed before me with cruel clarity. My breath caught, and I shook my head as if I could physically banish the thought. I never wanted to feel that way again.

That loss, that soul-crushing despair, had been unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was worse than losing my parents. It was as if my very soul had been torn apart, leaving me empty and raw.

I had planned to keep my feelings to myself, to lock them away where no one could reach them. But the truth was becoming impossible to ignore. No matter how much I wanted to resist, I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. Leaving them was not an option. I had come to Realise that, despite everything, they truly owned my heart. The very thought of walking away felt like a betrayal of the deepest kind.

Midnight, my wolf, hummed with approval in the back of my mind. She had been waiting for me to come to this conclusion, her quiet presence urging the toward this truth for days now, I could feel her pride, her satisfaction, like a warm pulse beneath my skin.

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