Tales of the four rings...

Carter's words echoed in my mind, wrapping around me like a cold shroud. "They weren't accidents, Everly. None of them. Your husbands were murdered."

The weight of his statement pressed heavily on my chest. I had suspected it, feared it, but hearing it spoken made my stomach churn.my world, already unstable, shattered completely.

Lillian's fingers dug into my arm, her grip vice-like ."Everly,"she whispered,"this----this can't be real."

I swallowed hard, forcing down the lump rising in my throat."who did this?"my voice was steady, but my heart pounded wildly.

Carter exhaled rubbing a hand over his face."I don't know for sure.But I have my suspicious.And if I'm right, you're in grave danger."

"Then tell me everything,"I demanded.

He hesitated, glancing toward the door as though expecting someone to burst in at any moment."it started with Daniel,"he finally said.

At the mention of my first husband something deep inside me twisted."go on.

Carter leaned forward, his voice lower now."when Daniel died, it wasn't just a tragic accident. He had been investigating something-something dangerous . He told me once that he had uncovered secrets about powerful people, and that if anything happened to him,it wouldn't be by chance."

My breath caught. "Secrets about what?"

Carter shook his head. "I don't know the details. But he was scared, Everly. He warned me to stay away from certain people. And then, just like that,he was gone."

The room suddenly felt too small. The air too thin. My pulse roared in my ears. "And the others? John? Adam? And Victor?"

Carter's jaw tightened. "Their deaths followed a patterned. One that I only started noticing after Adam died. When I looked into it,I found out that every single of your husbands had dealings with the same group of people before their deaths."

Lillian let out a shaky breath beside me. "A group? What kind of group?"

Carter hesitated again,his eyes flickering with something close to fear. "Men with influence. Power. People who operate from the shadows, making sure their secrets stay buried."

My fingers curled into fists. "And my name being on that list....?"

Carter's expression darkened. "It means that haven't finished tying up loose ends."

Lillian stood abruptly,nearly knocking over the chair she had been sitting on. "Then we need to leave. Now!"

But I didn't move. My fear was still there, but something else was beginning to take root - anger. A slow-burning fire that started deep in my chest and spread through my veins.

"No," I said firmly. "Running won't solve anything. I need to know who."

Carter studied me carefully,then signed. "

That's exactly what they are counting on. They know you won't stop until you find the truth. And that's why you are in danger."

I exhaled,my mind racing. "Then help me. You were Daniel's friend. If you care at all about what happened to him, you'll help me finish what he started."

Carter muttered a curse under his breath, rubbing his temple. "You don't understand-these people don't just kill. They erase. They make sure no one even remembers you existed."

Lillian crossed her arms. "Then we need to be careful. But we can't just walk away from this."

Carter let out a frustrated breath before nodding. "Fine. But if we do this,we do it my way. No reckless moves,no charging in blind."

Relief and determination warred inside me. "Then where do we start?"

Carter reached into his coat and pulled out a folded piece of paper. " I have been tracking their movements for years. This address here - it belongs to someone who might have answers."

I took the paper from him,my fingers brushing against his. "Who?"

His eyes darkened. "A man named Mike Langley. He's one of them. But lately,I think he's been having second thoughts."

Lillian shifted uneasily. "You think he will talk?"

Carter exhaled sharply. We won't know until we find him."

I unfolded the paper and stared at the address written there. Another lead. Another step into the unknown.

Lillian let out a deep sign. I can't believe we're actually doing this."

I tucked the paper into my pocket,my jaw tightening. "We have to. If we don't, I will never be free of this."

Carter's expression softened for the first time. " Then we leave at dawn. Get some rest while you can."

Rest. The word felt meaningless.

Because after tonight,I knew there would be no turning back.

And the truth,no matter how terrifying,was waiting to be uncovered.

A few hours later.... I lay awake in my bed, staring at the ceiling

The flickering candle beside me cast restless shadows along the walls.Lillian was in the next room, but I knew she wasn't sleeping either.

The weight of everything was unbearable.

The names on that list hunted me Daniel, Theodore.Henry And now, my own.

I turned onto my side, my fingers brushing against the folded paper on my nightstand.

Victor longley.

Could he be the key to unlocking the truth? Or was he just another piece of the puzzle, another man too afraid to speak?

I closed my eyes, willing myself to sleep,but sleep did not come.

Instead,my mind replayed Carter's warning over and over .

"These people don't just kill . They erase."

A sudden noise outside made me sit up

A creak.

The sound of footsteps.

I held my breath,my heart hammering. I reached for the dagger I kept beneath my pillow,my fingers tightening around the cool hilt .

Then silence.

Was it just my imagination? Or had someone been watching us?

I slowly rise from the bed, careful not to make a sound moving toward the window, I peeked outside.

The street was empty.

But the feeling of being watched did not leave me .

I stepped back ,my pulse still racing . Whoever these people were, they knew I was getting close. And they weren't going to wait for me to uncover the truth.

I was already a target.