Victoria''s eyes darted frantically around the cemetery, searching for escape or assistance.


    Finding none, her desperation grew.


    "I will destroy you for this," she threatened, her voice low and venomous. "When Ethan hears-"


    I pped her again, cutting off her words. "Say it!"


    Victoria''s gaze locked on something near the grave-a broken piece of ceramic from a


    shattered offering vase. Before I could react, her hand shot out, fingers closing around the jagged shard.


    In one swift motion, she shed at my hand, the sharp edge cutting deep into my flesh.


    Pain exploded through my palm, hot and immediate. I instinctively loosened my grip, giving


    Victoria the opening she needed.


    She twisted away from me, scrambling backward on her hands and knees. Blood dripped from


    my wounded hand onto Lily''s grave, dark droplets staining the white moonstone.


    "You cut me," I said, staring at my bleeding palm in disbelief.


    Victoria''s lips curved into a triumphant smile as she rose to her feet. "And I''ll do worse if you


    touch me again."


    I lunged toward her, but my injured hand threw me off bnce. I stumbled, giving Victoria


    precious seconds to reach into her designer bag.


    "Stay back," she warned, pulling out a small dark bottle-the same one she''d been about to


    empty on Lily''s grave when I arrived.


    My heart froze. "Victoria, don''t."


    Her eyes gleamed with malicious intent. "You should have let me leave."


    +15 Points >


    "Please," I begged, my anger giving way to desperation. "Whatever that is, don''t pour it on my


    daughter''s grave."


    Victoria''s smile widened, cruel and satisfied. "You want to know what this is? It''s a curse,


    Olivia. An ancient one that ensures restless spirits."


    Horror washed over me. "You can''t believe in such things."


    "Can''t I?" Victoria uncapped the bottle. "The old wolves have their ways. Ways to ensure a


    spirit never finds peace."


    I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the throbbing pain in my hand. "Don''t!"


    But I was toote. Victoria upended the bottle over Lily''s tombstone, the dark liquid spilling


    across the engraved name and dates.


    "Don''t..." I had just gotten up from the ground, but before I could stand steady, I witnessed this


    heartbreaking scene.


    The viscous substance oozed down the face of the stone, seeping into the engraved letters of my daughter''s name. The moonlight caught it, giving it an oily, iridescent sheen.


    "No!" I cried, rushing forward.


    Victoria stepped back, tossing the empty bottle aside. "Now she''ll never rest. Just like you''ll


    never know peace."


    I fell to my knees before Lily''s desecrated grave, frantically trying to wipe away the


    dark liquid with my sleeve. It clung stubbornly to the stone, thick and resistant.


    "What have you done?" I sobbed, my tears mixing with the substance as I desperately tried to


    clean it away. "What have you done to my baby?"


    Victoria''sughter echoed through the cemetery as she backed away. "Give Ethan my regards. Tell him I''ll be waiting when he''s ready to admit his mistake."


    I barely registered her departure, all my focus on removing the foul substance from Lily''s grave. My sleeve was quickly saturated, the dark liquid staining the fabric but still clinging to


    the stone.


    "I''m sorry, Lily," I wept, using my bare hands now. "I''m so sorry I couldn''t protect you."


    The substance felt warm against my skin, unnaturally so in the cool night air. It smelled of something ancient and wrong-herbs and blood and things that shouldn''t bebined.


    Was it truly a curse? Could Victoria really condemn my daughter''s spirit to eternal unrest?


    < Chapter 92 Sacred Ground


    +15 Points


    I didn''t know, but I couldn''t take the chance. I had to clean every trace of it from


    Lily''s grave.


    My injured hand throbbed painfully as I worked, blood mixing with the dark substance. I didn''t care. Physical pain was nothingpared to the thought of Lily''s spirit suffering.


    "Ms. Winters?" A gentle voice broke through my frantic efforts.


    I looked up to see Gregory Tanner, the night guardian of Sacred Moonlight


    Cemetery, standing


    a few feet away. His weathered face was creased with concern.


    "Are you alright? I heard shouting."


    I shook my head, unable to speak through my tears. I gestured helplessly at the desecrated


    grave.


    Gregory''s expression darkened as he took in the scene. "Wait here," he said, his voice gentle


    but firm. "I''ll be right back."


    He disappeared into the darkness, returning minutester with a bucket of hot water and


    clean cloths.


    “Here,” he said, kneeling beside me. "This will work better."


    I epted the cloths gratefully, dipping one into the steaming water. "Thank you."


    Gregory watched as I resumed my cleaning efforts, the hot water helping to dissolve the


    stubborn substance.


    "Who did this?" he asked quietly.


    "Victoria Frost," I replied, my voice breaking. "She... she said it was a curse. To keep Lily''s spirit


    from resting."


    Gregory''s face hardened. "I''ll check the surveince footage. We have cameras at all the main


    entrances."


    I nodded absently, focused entirely on my task. The hot water was working, the dark substance gradually lifting from the stone.