Chapter 387: Turning Blind Eyes

Aisling's POV

"This is absolutely monstrous," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Only truly evil people could devise such a cruel method."

"I know," I whispered. "I've always known what happens here, but I was too scared to do anything about it. Too scared of my father, of the whole village..."

My voice trailed off as I watched Adam calculating something in his head, his eyes measuring the depth of the pit, the stability of its walls. He seemed to be working through options, weighing possibilities.

"We can't pull the coffin up," I explained, anxiety making my words tumble out faster than normal. "It's too heavy, especially with someone inside. And we can't make noise—if the gravekeeper hears us, he'll alert the whole village."

"I'm going down," Adam said suddenly, his decision made.

"What? How will I get you back up? Both of you?" Panic flared in my chest. "I'm not strong enough to pull up one person, let alone two!"

Adam turned to face me fully, his green eyes burning with intensity. "Just lower me down. Don't worry about getting us out. Then go home and pretend tonight never happened."

"But—"

"Listen to me," he cut me off, his voice low and commanding. "If you don't want more people to die here tonight, act like nothing happened. When my friend arrives tomorrow, he'll handle it."

"I... okay," I agreed reluctantly.

Adam quickly found a length of rope near the gravekeeper's shed. He tied one end securely around his waist, then handed me the other end. "Lower me down slowly. Can you manage that?"

I nodded, wrapping the rope around a nearby headstone for leverage. "I'll try my best."

He moved to the edge of the pit, then paused and looked back at me. "Thank you for helping," he said, his voice softening slightly. "Not everyone would have the courage to go against their entire community."

I felt a flush of shame. "I should have done something sooner. For the other women..."

"You're doing something now," he said simply. Then, without another word, he began his descent.

I gripped the rope tightly, feeling it burn against my palms as I controlled his descent. My arms strained with the effort of supporting his weight as he disappeared into the darkness. Inch by inch, I lowered him down, my teeth clenched so hard my jaw ached. Sweat beaded on my forehead despite the cool night air.

Please don't let me drop him. Please don't let the rope break.

After what felt like an eternity, I felt the tension in the rope ease slightly. He had reached the bottom.

"Go," came his voice from the depths, low and commanding.

I hesitated, staring down into the darkness where he had vanished. Part of me wanted to stay, to help somehow. But I knew I would only be a liability if I were caught here.

With trembling hands, I secured the rope to a sturdy tombstone, then backed away. "I'm sorry," I whispered, though I knew he couldn't hear me. Then I turned and fled through the cemetery, keeping to the shadows until I reached the village.

My heart was pounding so hard I could barely breathe by the time I reached my house. I slipped through the back door, praying no one would hear me. The kitchen was dark and silent, but as I crept toward the stairs, a light flicked on in the hallway.

"Aisling? Is that you?" My mother's worried voice froze me in place.

I turned slowly to face her. Mom stood in the doorway to the living room, her robe pulled tight around her, her face lined with concern. "Where have you been? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to be out climbing over walls at night? If your father finds out, he'll keep you locked up and won't even let me see you."

I instinctively shrank back, tucking my hands behind me. "Is Dad home?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Mom's eyes narrowed as she studied my face. "What's wrong with you? You're sweating bullets."

"Nothing," I said quickly. "I just... I felt suffocated. Went for a run."

She stepped closer, her maternal instinct clearly sensing something was off. "Aisling, you know you can tell me anything, right? Whatever trouble you're in—"

"I'm not in trouble," I interrupted, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue. "I'm fine. Really. I'm just tired."

Mom didn't look convinced, but she nodded slowly. "Go get some sleep then. And for heaven's sake, wash up. You look like you've been digging in the dirt."

I nodded and hurried upstairs, locking my bedroom door behind me. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely turn the key. I slid down against the door until I was sitting on the floor, knees pulled up to my chest.

What have I done? What's going to happen when morning comes?

I was too panicked to even cry. My mind raced through the possibilities. If Adam and Sophie were discovered in the pit, the whole village would know someone had helped them. If Rex arrived with reinforcements as Adam had implied, there would be violence. People—my neighbors, maybe even my father—would be arrested, or worse.

The life I'd known, the village that had been my home despite all its darkness, might cease to exist by tomorrow. And I had played a part in bringing about its downfall.

But it deserves to fall, a small voice inside me insisted. The things they've done to those women... the things they would have done to Sophie...

I thought of my father, of how he'd lock me in my room when I defied him, of how he'd speak about women as if they were livestock to be traded. I thought of the vacant eyes of the women who had been "tamed" in the pit, how they moved through the village like ghosts afterward.

I was born into sin, I realized, a sob finally breaking free. Born into this place of evil and raised to accept it as normal.

The weight of it all crushed down on me. I felt like I was drowning, struggling for air as the reality of my situation closed in around me. In helping Adam, I had betrayed my family, my community. But in doing nothing all these years, I had betrayed every woman who had suffered here.

There was no right answer, no path that didn't lead to pain.

I pulled my blanket from the bed and wrapped it around myself, still huddled on the floor. "Nothing happened," I whispered to myself, rocking slightly. "Pretend nothing happened..."