Chapter 3

Gabriel just stood there, not saying a word, like he was carved from stone.

Pearl kept struggling, even though she knew she couldn't win against the followers' strength or stubbornness—she still tried everything she could to break free.

Just like when she decided to leave Frostvale.

"Gabriel!" Alice's face was pale as a sheet as she slipped off a follower's back, nearly falling as she staggered toward Gabriel.

Gabriel's stoic mask finally slipped—he pulled Alice into his arms, fussing over her, worry etched all over his face.

But Pearl couldn't hold it together anymore.

"Gabriel! You're supposed to be with Alice! So why? Why did you ever choose to accept me?" she cried, her voice trembling with pain and anger.

Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone around heard her clear as day.

"I don't want to share a man with anyone!" she said, her voice cracking.

Gabriel's brows furrowed, and he called out, "Pearl," his voice low—almost a warning, almost intimidating.

Alice's face was wet with tears. "It's my fault..."

The sky darkened abruptly. What had started as a light flurry of snow intensified within minutes, mixing with hailstones that hammered down against a nearby statue. The wooden structure creaked and groaned, a teeth-grating sound that sent shivers down spines.

"Run! Seek shelter at the sanctuary! It's a divine punishment!"

Chaos erupted instantly. People in the clinic flooded out, scrambling for safety.

The followers had already abandoned Pearl, and the chaos of the crowd tore her and Gabriel apart. When she glanced back, all she saw was Gabriel desperately shielding Alice in his arms, shouting for help as he tried to push his way through the stampede toward her.

Another deafening crash echoed. A second statue came crashing down, its weight slamming into Pearl's already mangled back. She was pinned beneath the sacred object—once a symbol of faith, now a tomb that trapped her, leaving her unable to move.

She struggled desperately, but the statue was far too heavy for her to budge.

"Pearl!" It was Gabriel's voice, ringing out in the chaos.

She heard him and threw every last bit of strength into crawling free—but the surging crowd just kept pushing her down, trampling her underfoot.

At that moment, everything became painfully clear.

Alice was out cold, and Gabriel was frantically giving her mouth-to-mouth—his lips pressed to hers, desperate, like a kiss that wouldn't end.

He wasn't calling for her. He was calling for Alice. The one in his arms, the one he was terrified of losing, wasn't Pearl. It was Alice.

She lost all hope—and then, everything went dark.

*****

When Pearl came to, every inch of her body was screaming in pain.

She had no clue where she was. Her fingers brushed against the cold, damp earth, and the wind was howling somewhere above her head. The whole place was swallowed in darkness, with barely a sliver of light leaking in from the doorway.

She was still in the temple, but now she was stuck in the followers' solitary cell—the place they got thrown into to repent whenever they messed up.

"Let me out! Somebody, help! Gabriel! Let me out!" Pearl shouted, her voice bouncing off the cold stone walls.

Pearl's fear was spiraling out of control. If there was one thing she couldn't handle, it was being trapped in the dark.

Her mind flashed back to the war—a night just like this, pitch black and silent. That was when a gunshot took her mother away. She'd watched her mother's bloody head roll under the bed, those lifeless eyes staring right at her.

Pearl'd been scared out of her wits, but her mother had warned her not to come out. So she spent the whole night curled up, stuck in that nightmare, with only her mother's head for company.

Ever since that night, she'd been terrified of the dark—terrified of being left all alone.

And Gabriel knew. He knew, damn it!

Footsteps drew closer, echoing through the darkness. The door to the solitary cell was yanked open, and Pearl tensed up, her whole body shaking with nerves. But it wasn't Gabriel—it was an elderly follower, his face set in a grim, solemn mask.

With a vicious smack, Pearl crashed to the ground, blood streaming from her mouth.

"The Guardian has already taken Alice to town to treat her typhoid.

"As for you, don't bother struggling. There's no medicine, no food, nothing for you here until he comes back to decide what to do with you.

"Just give it up. He never cared about you—not even once before he left."

Pearl, dazed and barely conscious, propped herself up on her elbows. Before she could gather her thoughts, the man locked the cell tight with heavy iron chains.

"Gabriel... you... I hate you... I hate you so much!" Pearl choked out, her voice shaking with hatred.

Pearl's furious cries rang out across the whole sanctuary.

So it turned out Gabriel could love—just never her.