Chapter 156 THE CHOICE THAT DESTROY EVERYTHING
The cathedral remained frozen long after Victor Hale disappeared into the darkness.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The echoes of his words still lingered in the air like poison.
Eliana stood in the center of the hall, her hands trembling, her mind drowning in chaos. Three days. That was all she had. Three days to decide whether she would become Victor Hale’s heir or watch Ethan die by her own hands.
The weight of that choice pressed against her chest until breathing felt impossible.
Ethan slowly stepped toward her.
His footsteps were careful, cautious, as if he were approaching someone he no longer understood.
“Eliana,” he said softly.
She didn’t answer.
Her eyes were fixed on the empty space where Victor had stood moments ago.
“Eliana,” he repeated, his voice firmer this time.
She finally turned to him.
For the first time, he felt afraid of her gaze.
Her eyes were no longer filled with love.
They were filled with storm.
“Did you really know everything?” she asked quietly.
The question was simple, but it carried the weight of betrayal.
Ethan hesitated.
That hesitation was enough to wound her again.
“Yes,” he admitted.
Her lips trembled slightly, but her voice remained steady.
“So while I was living my life like a fool… while I trusted you, loved you, believed in you… you were watching me like a secret you didn’t know how to confess.”
Ethan clenched his fists.
“I was trying to protect you,” he said.
“Protect me?” Eliana laughed softly, but the sound was hollow. “By lying to me?”
Silence fell between them.
Clara watched them from a distance, her heart pounding. She had never seen Eliana like this before. Not broken. Not crying. Not screaming.
Just cold.
That frightened her more than tears ever could.
“Eliana,” Clara said gently, stepping forward. “Victor is manipulating you. He always does this. He creates impossible choices so that people destroy themselves.”
Eliana looked at her.
“And what if he’s right?” she asked.
Clara froze.
Ethan’s eyes widened.
“What do you mean?” Clara whispered.
Eliana turned away slowly.
“What if becoming his heir is the only way to survive?” she said quietly. “What if refusing him means death for everyone I care about?”
Ethan stepped closer.
“You think I’ll let you do that?” he asked.
She looked at him sharply.
“You said it yourself,” she replied. “If I become his heir, you’ll become my enemy.”
His jaw tightened.
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
The word cut deeper than any knife.
Eliana stared at him.
“So you’re already choosing sides,” she whispered.
Ethan’s voice was low but resolute.
“I will never stand beside Victor Hale,” he said. “Even if it means standing against you.”
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Something inside Eliana cracked.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Quietly.
Like ice breaking under deep water.
She turned away from him.
“Then prepare yourself,” she said calmly.
Ethan stiffened.
Clara’s heart raced.
“Prepare yourself for what?” Clara asked.
Eliana slowly lifted her head.
Her voice was no longer trembling.
It was steady.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
“If Victor Hale wants a queen,” she said, “then I will become one.”
Ethan felt fear crawl through his veins.
Not fear of Victor.
But fear of her.
Because in that moment, he realized something terrifying.
Eliana was no longer running from her destiny.
She was walking toward it.
And she was not looking back.
Outside, thunder roared across the sky.
Inside Eliana’s chest, something ancient awakened.
And somewhere in the darkness, Victor Hale smiled.
Because the game had finally begun.
Cliffhanger
Later that night, Eliana stood alone in her room, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
Her eyes looked different.
Colder.
Stronger.
Her phone vibrated.
A message appeared.
Unknown number.
“Welcome to your throne, Seraphina.”
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
Then another message came.
“Your first task begins tonight.”
Her heart skipped.
She typed back slowly:
What task?
The reply came instantly.
“Kill Ethan Blackwood.”
Eliana’s breath stopped.
She stared at the screen.
Because deep inside her soul…
she wasn’t sure anymore whether she could refuse.