Olivia’s sobs suddenly cut off like someone had flipped a switch. She slowly raised her head, and even through her puffy, red-rimmed eyes, a spark of wild hope lit up inside her.

She wasn’t going to rot in this nightmare all by herself after all. Jasmine had just spilled her own guilt, which meant she was just as deep in the mess as Olivia was.

That realization wrapped around Olivia like some twisted kind of comfort, warming her from the inside out. At least she wouldn’t be the only rotten sinner standing in a crowd of people everyone else saw as perfect saints.

The corners of her mouth twitched, almost curving into a real smile.

But that sweet relief shattered almost instantly.

"Voren, do you mind if I say something?" Corvine’s voice cut through the heavy air, every single head on the deck snapped toward him.

Voren looked completely drained, like the weight of the whole damn world was crushing down on his shoulders, but he still managed a tired little nod.

"Go ahead."

Corvine’s fingers tightened around Olivia’s arm for a second before he let go. Just below the yacht’s deck sat that cramped little storage room he’d already picked out as her prison for the night.

But instead of dragging her down there right away, he turned to face the whole group, his expression dead serious.

"Jasmine is a victim in all of this."

His words hit like a bomb. The entire deck went dead silent, everyone stunned into shock.

"Yeah, she hid the truth because she used to dream about marrying Voren one day. I’m not gonna pretend that was righteous," he said, his gaze flicking to Jasmine for just a heartbeat before sweeping back over the others. "But the second Seraphine showed up, Jasmine buried those old feelings deep. She faced reality, swallowed her pain, and actually moved on with her life."

His face hardened like stone. "I can’t come down on her too hard because she’s nothing like her mother. She seized the opportunity to change and be better as soon as she got the chance."

Jasmine’s eyes flooded with hot tears in an instant. She never in a million years thought Corvine would stand up for her like this.

After knowing him for barely a week, he’d barely even glanced her way most days, acting like she was invisible. Now here he was, putting himself out there to defend her, and it left her completely speechless, her heart pounding so hard she could feel it in her throat.

Even if everyone else shot his words down and called him crazy, she would hold onto this moment forever. Someone had actually stood beside her when she was sure she’d be facing the fire all alone.

Before anyone could jump in, Olivia stepped interrupted, her face twisted with raw guilt.

"No," she said, shaking her head hard. "My crimes are no different from hers."

All eyes locked onto her now.

"I talked Jasmine into helping me fake that attack so she could swoop in and play the hero who rescued me. She went along with it, which means she’s just as tangled up in this as I am."

Jasmine slowly brushed the tears from her cheeks, her shoulders slumping under the crushing weight of it all.

"She’s telling the truth," she whispered, voice thick with emotion. "I deserve to be punished too."

Corvine’s eyes shot straight to Olivia, disappointment flashing across his face before it twisted into pure disgust.

"I only said all that to see if there was even a shred of remorse left in you," he growled, letting out a bitter, hollow laugh. "Just one tiny spark of humanity."

His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "But you’ve shown there’s nothing there."

Olivia glared right back at him, silent and seething.

"How the hell can you even try to compare your sins to Jasmine’s?" His voice dropped even colder, slicing through the air. "You ruled a whole pack as Luna. You held real power over everyone. If Jasmine had told you no, you could’ve just used that authority to crush her and force her hand anyway."

He jabbed a finger toward Jasmine, his words hitting like boulders crashing down.

"She was vulnerable. A lone wolf. Just a young girl whose own mother walked away from the Grimroot pack just to keep your disgusting secret safe."

The deck fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.

"That woman gave up her entire life to bury your lies," he continued, jaw clenched so tight it looked painful. "Even if you don’t feel an ounce of guilt for all the horrible things you’ve done, shouldn’t you have at least protected her daughter?"

Olivia’s fists balled up so hard her nails bit into her palms, drawing tiny crescents of pain. She hated Corvine with every fiber of her being. She hated how he kept ripping her open and exposing every ugly part of her.

She hated that every single word out of his mouth made her look more and more like a monster. But worst of all, she could practically see the storm raging in Vladimir’s eyes. And Voren... he wasn’t even looking at her anymore.

Neither of them was.

Vladimir’s face was dark with crushing disappointment, while Voren stared off, lost deep in thought as he turned Corvine’s words over and over in his mind.

Jasmine kept her head down, too ashamed to meet anyone’s eyes. For the first time in forever, someone had finally seen that she hadn’t done everything out of pure evil.

Meanwhile, Voren’s mind had completely left Olivia behind. His full attention was locked on Corvine now.

Something about the fierce way he’d defended Jasmine didn’t sit right with him at all. Was he just being fair? Or did he actually have feelings for her? The question burned in his brain and refused to let go.

If Corvine really cared about Jasmine like that, it would cause a massive problem. Kael’s feelings for her weren’t exactly a secret anymore, and Voren knew firsthand how ugly and complicated things could get when two strong men wanted the same woman.

He rubbed the back of his neck, staring out toward the horizon where the sun was sinking fast, bleeding deep oranges and purples across the sky and water.

They’d planned to spend the night on the yacht and head back home tomorrow, but everything felt heavier now. They might have to leave from here to the outlands.

Voren took a long, slow breath and turned to Seraphine. "Would you mind if I left your side for a minute? I need to speak with Corvine."

Seraphine searched his face for a second before giving him a soft, understanding smile. "Of course, go ahead."

She stood up gracefully, stepping away to give them room. Voren walked over and gave Corvine a light tap on the shoulder. "Come with me."

Corvine followed without a word. The two of them moved to the railing at the far edge of the deck, far enough that no one else could overhear. The cool evening breeze swept across the water, carrying the salty ocean air as a thick silence stretched between them.

Voren leaned both hands on the railing and gazed out at the endless sea for a long moment before finally turning to his friend. His eyes studied Corvine’s face carefully, searching for the truth.

"Corvine..." His voice stayed calm, but the question behind it carried the weight of the world. "Tell me the truth."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Are you in love with Jasmine?"