"You did this, didn't you?" she asked, as her throat burned with emotions. The weight of fear crept into her voice. "Why? Why would you do this? I agreed to marry you! I have married you! So, why.. Why did you do this?" she choked on the words, tears streaming down her face, a reflection of the betrayal she couldn't yet name.
"The marriage is only the beginning, my love. There are many more to come. After all, it is time for your family to pay for their crimes," Killian replied, his voice was void of emotion, but when Claire looked into his eyes, all she could see was that he was content with what he had done.
Claire felt this sudden burn running through her. She could feel the heat all over her body, and it almost felt like she was inside that house, burning along with it. Things were supposed to go back to normal, but now she was in a grave that she dug for herself.
That night, when Claire made the deal with the duke, if she realised she would be exchanging one monster for an even worse one, then she would have gone after Sylvie herself. She wouldn't have minded dying either.
Now, because she had made a deal without thinking twice, she had sacrificed her family. Her family was burning and turning into dust while she stood there helpless against a man.
As she turned to look at the house - or what remained of it - burning down, she realised what had held her close to the world was lost and no more. She would use the anger she felt at the unfairness of this life to make sure everyone who hurt her would regret it. That includes her husband.
Claire's vision shifted, darkening the world around her, becoming bizarrely focused. Soon, her body went limp against her husband.
~~~
Killian had carried his wife back to the mansion after she lost her consciousness. She lay in her bed, her wedding attire gone, now wearing a simple bed gown.
His plan from the beginning was never in line with what his wife had requested of him. Claire was simply a means to the end - a substitute for the crime that was committed against him and his family.
That night, when she willingly came to make a deal with him - without knowing the dangers - he changed his plan just enough to make his and his men's lives safe and easy. He didn't expect Sylvie to escape that easily; he underestimated her and her power. He learnt his lesson from his mistake; however, from that mistake, an opportunity also followed. He was able to gain direct access to the Stokenholme family.
The plan was clear; Marry Claire, make the people who made his life miserable pay and dispose of his 'wife' as efficiently as possible. A means to an end.
He will make sure her life as a duchess, wife or woman is never going to be easy. Make her endure the same amount of pain that he did.
He saw the slight movement of her hand from the corner of his eyes. Her hand was grabbing the sheets tightly. He stayed where he was as he kept observing his wife trying to claw her way out of the nightmare that she was trapped in. As if someone pulled her out of it with a forceful grip, she jolted upright.
Breathless and disoriented.
The panic on her face gave Killian enough satisfaction to know she had no rest while she was asleep. To be able to see her panicked and emotional about what haunted her. Closed eyes, ragged breath, and tear-stricken face.
"I hope the sleep was to your satisfaction and that you are well rested", Killian said in an amused tone.
Claire took some deep breaths to control her racing heart, but then she couldn't stop the tears from falling. She felt like everything that touched her was sticking to her. She pushed the sheets away in the hope of getting away from it. She moved to get out of bed, but her leg gave way, and she fell to her knees.
She bowed her head in hope of it all being a nightmare, but she couldn't get away from it all. Her insides twisted painfully as she kept seeing visions of the burned house, of her siblings' final goodbye to her, of them smiling at her, of them blaming her for causing their painful death. They had looked at her with such disgust for being stupid enough to trust a man with their lives.
Claire couldn't bear all of it. All her life was spent keeping her sibling away from pain and distress, but she ended up being the one to serve them on a gold platter to their killer. She wanted to crawl out of this.
She felt someone lifting her chin. She didn't open her eyes. Not yet.
"It is not yet time for you to fall to your knees, my love. We just started playing, and we have a long way to go. I am going to need you to be very strong here." Claire could feel him smiling as he said those words. This cruelty, how did she not see this?
Because you closed your eyes, Claire. Open them.
She opened her eyes and looked at the man who was going to be her downfall. The man she unwillingly married and the one who caused her family's demise. She saw satisfaction. She saw undeniable happiness. She saw things a normal person shouldn't feel, but here she was seeing the very things she couldn't unsee.
Killian let go of her chin, but she held her face so that she could look straight into his eyes. Those cruel, soulless eyes. His eyes said everything that needed to be said, and Claire understood and realised he was right.
This is just the beginning.