380. A Whispered Confession

Emily sat motionless, her hands trembling as the weight of realization pressed upon her. The memory of Susan’s face—wounded, distraught—flashed before her. The words she had spoken, the obsession that had clouded her mind, the way she had pushed Susan away.

“I drove her from me,” Emily whispered, barely audible.

Duchess Charlotte’s head snapped toward her. “What?”

Emily swallowed hard, her throat dry. “I was cruel. Consumed. I… I didn’t see her pain. I didn’t care. I thought…” Her voice cracked. “I thought it was better this way.”

Charlotte’s expression hardened. “Better? Emily, she is gone! And now—” she motioned to the discarded newspaper “—we are too late!”

Emily’s chest tightened with grief. Susan had needed her, and she had turned away in her obsession. How could she forgive herself now?

Persona Non Grata’s voice was hoarse but firm. “Then we must make haste before she is lost forever.”