Page 52 of Trapped with the Earl of Sin

“I would not have hurt Luke…” Edwin did not even deny it. He just tried to change the subject.

“How could you do this, Edwin? And all the lies. You have done nothing but lie. You wanted to hurt Luke. That is what all of this was about. I found you outside his room with your gun.”

Susanna’s breathing was shallow and labored, but she forced herself to focus. “Martin,” she whispered, “call for help. Please.”

Doors to other rooms started to open. The gunshot had alerted others to Edwin’s diabolical plan, and they all started to filter out into the hallway. Susanna did what she could to keep her eyes open, but it was not easy. Not when every fiber of her being resisted that.

“Susanna, what happened?” It was Mary’s voice that screeched through her brain. “Oh my goodness, who did this to you?”

“E-Edwin,” Susanna hissed. She had no idea where he was, but she needed everyone to know that he was the issue. He was the one who had done this. “He… he is still in love with you, Mary. He has been trying to kill Luke. Martin and I… we have been trying to stop him. We could not let you or Luke get hurt.”

“Shh, it is alright,” Mary whispered. Susanna was not sure if Mary was taking on board what she was saying, she seemed to be just trying to calm her down. “It is alright, Susanna. It seems like the bullet only just scraped your arm. It is a flesh wound, I am sure you are going to be just fine. But we will get the physician here to check on you.”

“Edwin,” Susanna whispered. “Where is he? What has happened to him?”

Susanna watched as Mary’s eyes darted around the hallway, searching for any sign of Edwin. The tension in the air was palpable, and the gathered crowd began to murmur in fear and confusion.

“We need Luke,” Mary declared. “Can someone please get him? Martin, can you go and see where Edwin went? I assume he ran off while we were distracted. I will try and stem the bleeding here. Oh, and can someone get the physician here?”

“I am sorry,” Susanna whispered as she felt the consciousness slipping away from her once more. “This is the night before your wedding. I did not want anything bad to happen…”

“Do not worry about the wedding, Susanna. I am worried about you.”

Susanna swallowed hard. She needed her sister to really understand what was happening here. “But you should worry about Edwin. He is a scary man. I think he killed Duncan.”

“What do you mean?” Mary whispered. “Edwin would not have killed Duncan—they were the best of friends…”

“He killed him, for you, Mary. He thought that you would pick him. He still thinks you would pick him. He stabbed him, he did all those terrible things to him. We thought it was bandits, but it was him.”

“She is right,” Martin cut in. “He admitted it to me.”

Mary’s face turned pale as Susanna’s words sank in. Finally, she seemed to understand. But still, her focus was on Susanna, because that was how kind and sweet she was.

“Susanna, stay with me,” Mary pleaded, her voice trembling. “Do not close your eyes. Help is on the way. “

In the midst of her confusion, Susanna felt a small smile creeping up her lips. “I was not sure about Luke when we first came here. I was worried that he might not be the right man for you, but now that I have gotten to know him properly, I can see that he is perfect for you. I cannot wait until you get married. I believe you will be perfect together.”

Mary squeezed Susanna’s hands. “That means the world to me, Susanna. Thank you. But please, do not think about anything right now. Just keep yourself awake for me.”

But Susanna could not do it. She wanted to apologize again but could not find the words.

It was too late.

With that, the blackness claimed Susanna. She could not fight it any longer. At least she knew that everything had been taken care of. There was nothing else that she needed to do…

The darkness around Susanna was suffocating, a thick, oppressive void that swallowed her whole. She ran through an endless maze of twisted hallways, her heart pounding in her chest like a war drum. Every turn she took, every door she opened, led to another identical hallway, and always,always, she could hear Edwin’s footsteps echoing behind her. No matter how fast she ran, the sound of his pursuit never faded.

The walls seemed to close in on her, the air growing thicker and harder to breathe. Panic clawed at her throat, making her gasp for breath. She turned another corner and found herself in a dimly lit room, the shadows playing tricks on her eyes. She stumbled, her legs heavy with exhaustion, and her mind raced with a singular, desperate thought—I have to get away.

“Susanna…” Edwin’s voice slithered through the darkness, sending a shiver down her spine. It was a voice filled with menace, dripping with malice. “You cannot hide from me. Just like your sister. You will never be able to escape me.”

She pushed herself harder, her feet pounding against the cold, unforgiving floor. The hallway seemed endless, a never-ending stretch of fear and desperation. She glanced over her shoulderand saw him. Edwin, his face twisted into a grotesque mask of anger and obsession. He moved with an unnatural grace, closing the distance between them with terrifying speed.

“No!” she screamed, the sound echoing around her, mocking her terror. “Leave me alone!”

But Edwin’s laughter filled the space, a dark, chilling sound that made her blood run cold. “You cannot escape, Susanna. You have always been in my way. Always. You and Martin. The pair of you need to die. Why do you think I brought a gun with me?”

She felt a sharp pain in her arm, a reminder of the gunshot that had brought her here. Her body ached with every step, but she could not stop. She would not stop. She had to get away from him. She turned another corner, only to find herself in a dead end. The walls loomed high above her, unscalable and merciless.

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