Episode 17
Rain fell in whispers across the city.
At the stroke of midnight, the world held its breath.
And Aria Elwood stood outside the old cathedral, cloaked in shadows, her heart pounding like a war drum inside her chest.
The letter had said to come alone.
No name.
No explanation.
Only a crimson wax seal that felt like a promise... or a threat.
She pushed open the heavy wooden doors.
They groaned in protest, revealing an interior swallowed by time. Stained glass windows long broken. Candles flickering weakly against the gloom. And silence… thick as ash.
"Hello?" she called out, her voice echoing off the stone walls.
Nothing.
Then—
A whisper. "Over here."
She turned sharply. A hooded figure stood beneath the altar, cloaked in black, face hidden.
"You came," the voice said — distorted, low, and male.
"Who are you?" she demanded, heart racing. "Why did you send me that letter?"
"I'm someone who once believed Lucien Blackwood could be saved," the figure replied. "Like you do now."
Her breath caught. "You knew him?"
"I still do," he said darkly. "But not as you do. You see the man in the mansion. I saw the boy after the fire. After the drowning. After the betrayals. I saw the monster being made."
Aria took a cautious step forward. "Why are you telling me this?"
The figure pulled out a folded photo and tossed it onto the dusty floor at her feet.
She picked it up.
A black-and-white photo of a woman. The same woman from the mysterious room in Lucien's mansion — the one in the family portrait. His mother.
"She didn't drown," the man said. "She was murdered."
Aria's eyes widened. "Murdered…? By who?"
"She found out something she shouldn't have. Something about the Blackwood fortune. About how it was built. And someone made sure she never spoke again."
Aria's mind spun.
Lucien had always said the truth came at a price. Was this what he meant?
"She left behind a journal," the man continued. "Pages that could destroy Lucien's world. I have them."
Her heart leaped. "Where?"
"Not here. Not now. You need to prove you're ready."
"I'm not playing games," she snapped. "If you have evidence, give it to the police."
He laughed bitterly. "The police? The Blackwoods own them. No, Ms. Elwood. Only someone inside can bring him down."
"I'm not trying to bring him down," she said, voice shaking. "I want to understand him."
"Then you're already lost."
Thunder rumbled overhead.
The man stepped back into the shadows.
"I'll contact you again," he said. "When you're ready to choose between truth… and love."
Then — gone.
Aria stood alone beneath the broken glass dome, clutching a photograph of a woman who died for a secret.
---
The Mansion – Early Morning
Lucien was waiting in the foyer when she returned.
Dripping wet. Breathless. Eyes wild.
His arms crossed. His eyes dark.
"Where were you?" he asked coldly.
"Out," she replied, walking past him.
"You think I don't know?" he growled, grabbing her wrist.
She froze.
"You went to the cathedral. You think I wouldn't have eyes on you?"
"You're spying on me now?"
"I own you. Don't forget that."
She yanked her hand free. "No, Lucien. You don't own me. You rented me. There's a difference."
He stepped back, as if struck.
The silence was suffocating.
Aria turned away, climbed the stairs without looking back.
And for the first time, Lucien didn't follow.
---
Later That Night
A package appeared on her bed.
Wrapped in old newspaper.
No sender.
Inside—
A single torn page.
From a journal.
Lucien's mother's handwriting, faded but legible.
> "He thinks no one knows. But I do. About the men in the fire. About the blood money. About the vault beneath the estate. He was only nine. But I saw the look in his eyes that night. Like something inside him had died. Or been born."
A vault?
Blood money?
A fire?
Aria's hands trembled.
She remembered the room. The rocking chair. The dusty toys.
And Lucien's voice:
> "Some of us are beyond saving."
---
The Confrontation
The next morning, she found him in the study.
"Where is it?" she asked softly.
He didn't look up from his scotch. "Where is what?"
"The vault under the estate. The one your mother wrote about."
His jaw clenched.
"You're reading things that aren't yours."
"I want the truth."
He stood slowly.
And something in his eyes… broke.
"She was the only person who ever loved me," he whispered. "And I buried her with the secrets she died for."
Aria stepped closer. "Then why keep them?"
"Because love didn't save her," he snapped. "Secrets did."
"And what about me?" she asked. "Do you love me? Or am I just another secret to bury?"
Lucien stared at her.
Then turned away.
And Aria knew—
He wouldn't answer.
Not yet.
---
Midnight
She couldn't sleep.
The page haunted her.
The journal.
The vault.
And the man who kissed her like he owned her soul… but shut every door when she got too close.
So she made a decision.
If he wouldn't give her the truth…
She'd find it herself.