CHAPTER FORTY 

Scarlett's POV

Scarlett's POV

Time seemed to stand still as I watched the scene unfold before my eyes. The sight of Ethan, once a beacon of light, now consumed by darkness and reveling in his sadistic triumph, sent a shockwave through my body. My mind struggled to process the stark reality of what was happening, the stark contrast between the person I had known and cared for and the monster he had become. How had everything spiraled so out of control, descending into this abyss of darkness?

Emily's desperate attempt to stop Ethan, her body battered and broken as it collided with the unforgiving stone pillar, left me paralyzed with shock. The pain etched on her face mirrored the turmoil within my own heart, the anguish of witnessing the fall of someone we had both held dear. In that moment, the silence that settled upon the chamber felt deafening, the weight of the consequences echoing through the air, piercing my very soul. The only sound that disrupted the stillness was the harsh, r