Chapter 408

A chilling atmosphere had settled over the Bennett family. Everyone seemed different, hollow, like ghosts. Atlas felt a growing urge to leave, to escape this increasingly unsettling place.

"Do you know what happened ten years ago today?" Hannah asked, her voice cold and distant. The temperature plummeted, and a heavy snowstorm began. It was the day Odalys left the Bennett family and never returned.

Atlas paused, his coffee suddenly feeling heavy. He remembered Knox's account: a blizzard had struck the town that day, and Odalys had been found abandoned in the snow, taken to the police station.

"Mom," Atlas began hesitantly, "did you and Dad abandon Odalys? Was she discarded so you could adopt Sophia?" His voice trembled with uncertainty. He knew he shouldn't ask, but his curiosity and the unsettling facts about Odalys's past were overwhelming.

He already suspected Odalys had been deliberately abandoned—Knox's words, the police's unsuccessful attempts to contact the family, their refusal to allow Odalys's return—all pointed to a dark secret. A pang of guilt struck him. She was his sister; had things been different, he might have benefited from her fame. Now, even mentioning her risked internet backlash, costing him everything, including his job.

Hannah stared at the calendar, lost in thought. Finally, she spoke, her voice cold and bitter. "Do you think your father's behavior has been strange since he returned?"

Atlas felt his guard rise. He had to tread carefully with his parents' relationship. He set down his coffee, composing himself.

"Mom, do you regret divorcing Dad? Maybe you should talk to him. Have you considered remarrying him?" He looked at her earnestly. "I don't want him getting too involved with Sophia. If she marries into the Bennett family, things will get complicated."

He poured out his feelings. The thought of Sophia marrying Windsor made him sick; he couldn't imagine her in that role, especially given their history.

Before he could continue, Hannah slammed the calendar on the table, her eyes blazing.

"Windsor has ruined me! He made me a laughingstock, and I won't let him get away with it," she hissed. "Sophia, whom I raised for over a decade, thinks she can step on me to climb higher! She's got another thing coming, that ungrateful little bitch!"

Her chest heaved with anger. Atlas winced at the venom in her words. He knew their relationship was complicated, but this was something else entirely—betrayal, manipulation. Sophia had clearly used everything Hannah taught her against her.

"Mom," Atlas asked cautiously, lowering his voice, "Dad mentioned breaking his vows. What does that mean? Is there something going on between you two that you're not telling us?"

Atlas, though not superstitious, had lately been consulting star readings online, seeking answers, only to find vague pronouncements that further frustrated him.

"Mom," he repeated, "is there something you and Dad are hiding? The Bennett family is falling apart. If you don't start being honest, it might all come crashing down. Look at Henry and Edie—married in a flash, checked out. And now Dad's with Sophia again… If you don't tell us the truth, we might not survive this."

Caspian entered from upstairs, his face grim, as if he'd had an epiphany.

"Help me upstairs; I need to rest," Hannah murmured, closing her eyes.

But Atlas and Caspian remained motionless, watching her with unreadable expressions. A heavy silence settled.

After a long moment, Hannah opened her eyes, irritated by their inaction. She was about to speak when a thunderous crash echoed outside. Thunder rumbled violently; lightning struck the Bennett villa.

Before they could react, Caspian's phone buzzed. He answered, his voice trembling. "What? How is that possible?" His words hung in the eerie quiet.

After hanging up, Caspian's face turned ashen. He looked at Hannah, then at Atlas.

"What's going on?" Atlas demanded, his voice tight with concern.

Caspian stood motionless, his shock evident. "I had people watching Sophia," he said hoarsely. "According to my sources, Finnian and Dad both went to the hospital tonight. There was an argument, and afterward… Dad and Sophia went to bed together."

Atlas's stomach dropped. He couldn't believe it. Sophia, injured and vulnerable, had manipulated Windsor into sleeping with her. The thought sickened him.

"Mom," Atlas said, rushing to Hannah's side as she slumped to the ground, unconscious. He caught her before she hit the floor.

Caspian didn't help. He turned and walked toward the door without a word.

"Caspian, where are you going?" Atlas called frantically. "Mom's fainted! You're just going to leave her?"

Caspian didn't look back. As he left, he tossed over his shoulder, "If she's fainted, take her to her room. She'll be fine."

"Dammit, Caspian!" Atlas shouted, his temper flaring. He supported his mother while trying to stop Caspian, but it was useless. Caspian was gone.

As Caspian drove away, the oppressive energy lifting from the Bennett villa, almost as if the dark forces had dissipated with his departure.

"What the hell is going on here?" Caspian muttered, his heart pounding as he gripped the steering wheel. He glanced back at the fading lights of the Bennett villa. A shiver ran down his spine.

Could the Bennett family truly be haunted? Had Sophia and Windsor made a deal? Was this connected to the mysterious love spell? The Bennett family's sudden decline, his father's erratic behavior… could it all be tied to the spell?

Caspian shuddered. These magical things weren't easily dismissed. They could control hearts, steal luck, or even—he dreaded to think—cause death.

He fumbled for his phone and quickly typed a message to Odalys:

[Odalys, can you help me? Is this connected to a love spell? What is it? How did Sophia get it? And do you know how to break it?]

Caspian sent the message but received only silence.

"How do I get in touch with her? Today, she gave Sophia a lesson, clearly avenging the Tillery family. Could she have a good relationship with them?" Caspian murmured.

AD