Chapter 71 Sable
SABLE
Dear Nina,
I’m sorry that you’re finding out about my death this way, but I’m happy that I’m sparing at least one daughter.
I’m glad you don’t carry the Briarwick’s curse on your shoulders.
It’s been a long way here, many years in this war earned us a curse, and on days like this, I almost believe it’s true. We might be cursed like they say.
I met Meredith at Bellthorn. She was clever and beautiful.
I thought she was just one of the many rich girls in the school, but soon I found out that nothing was so simple around Meredith.
The Colefaxes were one of the founding families and pushed out after many generations without a male heir.
Meredith wasn’t like the other girls in Bellthorn.
She wanted revenge more than anything, and I was soon involved in her scheme.
I met your mother that same summer. She gave me another life, one that wasn’t about revenge, and I was powerless against what she had to offer me. I was weak. I was weak when I decided to marry Meridith, and I was weak when I kept seeing your mother anyway.
Neither our marriage nor Sable’s birth changed anything for Meridith. If anything, having a girl made it even more important to destroy the four families. We promised each other to never send Sable to Bellthorn, but that wasn’t enough for her.
She dedicated her life to finding out everything about the four families. Every secret, every crime. We were so close to destroying them for life. Everything was finally over, and I could step away and be a normal person, but it all came down at once.
I woke up today and learned that everything I had on them, they pinned on me.
You don’t understand, and I don’t want you to ever know how evil they are. The things they did, the horrific things they let happen in the world, and now it’s all on me. Tomorrow, everyone in the world will think that I did everything.
Meredith is exhausted. I’ve never seen her like this, but after a lifetime of searching for something only to have it all destroyed, it got to her. I took care of her. She’s okay now. She won’t have to suffer any longer.
I’m on my way to pick up Sable and end this once and for all. I’m about to end the Colefaxes and the Briarwicks and give you the only real chance any of us has ever had.
I’m sorry for leaving you alone, but I’m happy that the curse ends with me today. Sometimes I wonder how life would be if I didn’t let myself be swallowed by revenge, but as I started learning about the four families, I told myself it was right to keep going. They deserved to pay.
The price I’m paying is much greater than I’ve ever thought it would be.
Be careful, don’t trust anyone. Never step a foot inside Bellthorn and be safe. Don’t tell anyone you’re a Briarwick. I’m serious, this ends with me.
Love,
Dad