a/n: there are some very upsetting things that happen in this chapter. You are welcome to skip this chapter. To those that read on, please do so at your own discretion and please read the author's note at the end.

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"Miles was and always will be one of the most precious things to have graced this earth. He never failed to make me happy. Even though he came out of something horrible, he was my light, and I will always be grateful for what he did for me, and I just wish he had more time," Accalia says, trying desperately to keep her voice calm and even. "He didn't deserve the hand he was dealt, and I can only hope that he's free of pain, wherever he is." Accalia wants to go on, but the heartbreak finally catches up to her and she can't continue.

Her body shakes with grief and she bursts into tears. Her arms wrap around Leanne, her aunt and the two women weep. While Miles was Accalia's son, he was also Leanne's. She had helped raise him once Accalia stopped breastfeeding. She was there as he took his first steps, she helped comfort him when he was scared from the night terrors. She had helped him when he was learning how to read and write. She was there for almost every big milestone in his life up until his sickness and death. Despite all of this, Leanne would have wanted her niece to raise Miles.

She wishes that her sister and brother in law would have allowed Accalia to raise her son. Leanne's biggest regret is the fact that Miles died not knowing that Accalia was his true mother. He didn't know the truth and that breaks her heart. She doesn't know whether or not her niece will be able to get over this pain, but she hopes she does. Leanne hugs Accalia tightly; neither of the women listen to the others as they speak. Their pain is too much and they said what they wanted to.

As Accalia continues crying on her aunt's shoulder, she finds herself wishing that Harry was with her. She's grown to love his embraces and she definitely would have felt better with him being here. He wasn't allowed, however. He's not supposed to know the truth about Miles, and he's not supposed to be someone important to her. Accalia feels herself growing resentful towards her parents. She doesn't like that they had prevented her from raising her son. She knew it had to be done to protect her virtue, but a big part of it was because it reminded them of the perpetrator. It pained them, even though they had ignored the signs.

"Accalia my love," Constance says quietly. She stares sadly at her daughter and wants to comfort her.

"I'd like to go to my room, Mother," Accalia says dully.

"After we bury the coffin," Julian says, a little too insensitively. He realises his mistake and quickly takes a deep breath. "You'll regret it if you leave now."

"Fine," Accalia says, the tears still running down her cheeks. "Hurry up." Judith, who was allowed to come to the funeral is the first to step forward. She quietly begins to sing a hymn and the others slowly follow suit. Even Accalia joins in, though her words are shaky and almost unintelligible. The second the coffin has been buried, she walks very quickly back to her home. She ignores the sympathetic looks that servants give her as she passes. Most of them know the truth about Miles because they were there when the truth came out.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Lady Starling," a younger servant girl says timidly as she holds up a broken and wilted daisy. She had stepped forward and wanted to try and cheer her up.

"Thank you, Mary," Accalia says quietly. She takes the daisy from her outstretched hand and bows her head to show her respects. The two exchange a few more words before they part ways. More tears run down her cheeks as she gets to her bedroom door. When she steps inside, Accalia is mildly surprised to see that Harry is pacing back and forth. In his hand is a large bouquet of red roses. He stops moving the second he hears her come inside and the two stare at each other for a few moments.

"I know that these won't ease the loss you feel, but—" Harry begins hesitantly as he holds up the roses. He's cut off when Accalia lets out a loud sob and rushes forward to wrap her arms around his torso.

"He's gone, Harry," Accalia cries into his chest. "I'm never going to be able to hold him. I won't see his beautiful little smile, or hear his laugh. I won't ever be able to surprise him with his favourite pie. I won't get to watch him chase Bernard around on the grounds. He didn't deserve this."

"I'm sorry, Accalia," Harry says quietly as he sets the roses on the bed. He wraps his arms around her and just holds her tightly. He doesn't know how to comfort her, and he hopes that just being here is enough for the moment. After some time passes, Harry gets Accalia to change into more comfortable clothing and he lays with her in bed, something he never saw himself doing. He's let things go too far and he's becoming attached to Accalia. He has to finish what he started without any distractions, but it's getting to be so hard.

All he wants to do is shield Accalia from every bad thing in the world. If he could, he'd whisk her away to another country and make sure that her past couldn't torture her any longer. He'd marry her if he could, but that isn't part of his plan. All he wants to do is kill Julian and Constance Starling for what they did to his mother and father. He doesn't want to have second thoughts now, not after he's spent years planning out his revenge. He hates that he's debating whether or not he should just give them mercy and leave.

The problem has haunting him for days, especially since he's come to realise that he truly cares for Accalia. He doesn't want her just for her body; he wants her for her. The most obvious thing to do is leave, but he doesn't want that. He's selfish and wants to spend as much time as possible with Accalia. Maybe he should ask her if she will run away with him. They could find a small house in the countryside. They could start their own family, have a couple of kids and maybe a dog. Harry would make sure that Accalia is properly taken care of. The thought is something that he wants to make a reality.

"I wish that Miles had more time," Accalia says after a very long period of silence. "I think my biggest regret is that he never got to have a father. Leanne's husband died of an infected wound, and I never got married so he didn't know what it's like to have a father figure."

"At least he got to know what it's like to have two amazing women be his mum," Harry says after a few moments. "That has to count for something."

"I don't regret Miles, but I regret the way he was...created. Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened if my parents had listened to me when I told them that Eadmund would come into my room and touch me," Accalia continues, not really listening to what Harry is saying. "They didn't believe me, and one of the reasons for that was the fact that he was married."

"Eadmund?" Harry asks quietly, his eyebrows furrowing at the name. He knows it, but he can't remember why.

"My brother," Accalia answers. "He was my mother and father's favourite. They absolutely adored him and never listened to me when I tried telling them what he would do to me."

"Accalia—"

"I hate them, you know," Accalia says. "I hate my parents for not listening to me. It's their fault that I didn't get to raise my own son. It was too painful for them to see a reminder of their perfect son raping their daughter." Accalia can feel herself beginning to cry again as the memories come flooding back to her.

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"Accalia, listen to me," Julian says impatiently. "Your brother is not touching you. I don't know why you've deluded yourself into thinking this. He is happily married."

"But papa, I swear he is!" Accalia says indignantly as she holds her stuffed animal tightly in her arms. "He comes in when I'm about to fall asleep and he pushes up my dress and—" her words are cut off when she experiences a sharp stinging sensation on her cheeks. Her small body staggers back and it takes her a few moments to realise that her father had slapped her.

"When will you listen to me?" Julian asks angrily. "You are dreaming all of this up. Eadmund would never touch you. You're his sister whom he loves dearly."

"But he—" Accalia begins. She hastily stops and closes her mouth at the angry Look her father gives her.

"Julian, don't you think that you're being a little too harsh?" Constance asks as she gets out of bed to look at her daughter. "You didn't need to hit her."

"She won't shut up about Eadmund," Julian hisses.

"She's a child, they have imaginative minds," she replies. "Accalia, please go back to bed."

"But mum, Ead is still there," Accalia pouts, knowing that her words are true. "I'm scared."

"Go," Constance says sternly. Julian takes a step forward and Accalia immediately leaves he room. She doesn't want to get hit by her father again. She fears him more than her brother. Timidly, Accalia goes back to her room and her fear grows when he sees her brother laying on her bed. He seems unbothered by her abrupt departure and he even feels cocky. He knows that his sister has gone to tell their parents about what he's doing, but they won't believe her.

"So dear sister, did they believe you?" he asks with a mocking smile. "Answer me, little bird," he says softly, sitting up as Accalia slowly moves towards him.

"No," she whispers, her small body shaking with fear as she feels Eadmund's hands on her again. "Please Ead. I thought you were done."

"I was nowhere near being done," Eadmund says, pulling his sister's dress off. "And because of what you've just done, I am going to have to punish you."

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Accalia lays in her bed, staring up at the stone ceiling. She's trying to stop the tears from falling as she hears her brother entering her room. It's been three years since he first started his nightly visits. It happened after she had bled for the first time and it hasn't really stopped. She's told her parents about what's happening, but they haven't done a thing. They still think that he's the perfect son.

At first he would touch her body over her night gown but he eventually went on touch her without any barriers. He's been spending more time in her room as of late, and that's because her breasts have really started to grow. They were nonexistent in the beginning, but now, they fit in Eadmund's hands. He's always felt a strong attraction towards his sister and he's sure that he's in love with her.

"Accalia," he calls out. She doesn't dare move, knowing full well that he's already seen her. If she attempts to escape, he'll hurt her more than he already has. "There you are," he coos as he sees his sister's body in the end.

"Please just leave me alone," Accalia whispers, not wanting to deal with him tonight. "Please."

"I don't think so, little bird," Eadmund says as he begins to undress. Tonight is when he's finally going to do what he's wanted to do for years. "I've got something very special planned."

"I don't want to do anything," Accalia says, protesting slightly as she feels her blanket being pulled off. "Ead, please."

"When are you going to learn that you don't get a say in what I do to you?" Eadmund asks harshly as he grabs his sister's hips. He pushes her dress up again and begins to pump himself.

"Ead, what are you doing—" Accalia begins, her eyes widening in panic. Her question is cut off as she experiences a very sharp pain in her lower abdomen. When she realizes what's happening, she begins to scream loudly. "Get off of me. Stop! Help!"

"Shut up," Eadmund growls as he wraps a hand around her throat and squeezes tightly. Accalia continues trying to scream and make as much noise as she can. Her brother continues moving in and out of her, confident that he can end this quickly and be able to leave the premises. Just as he lets go and finishes inside his sister, the door to the room flies open and he stiffens.

The room is filled with loud screams from Constance. She had heard muffled noises coming from her daughter's room and was curious to see what was going on. She is horrified by what she's seeing, and her screams soon attract Julian and a few of the other servants, including an older woman named Judith. Eadmund knows he's been caught and he tries desperately to explain himself, but his parents don't let him say much. The next thing he knows, he's being thrown into a holding cell, meant for the most hardened criminals.

Constance is beside herself and Julian has to comfort his wife. Meanwhile, no one has bothered to check on the fourteen year old girl who is lying on her bed, bleeding and crying. Judith is the first to step towards Accalia and she quickly takes off her shawl. After having the young girl sit up, she wraps the cloth around her and begins to murmur words of comfort. She had heard rumours that the eldest  of the two Starling children was touching his younger sister inappropriately. She had also heard that Eadmund's wife was complicit, that she knew and even encouraged what was happening. 

It was from that moment on that Judith realised that the Starlings, or at least the two that head the family, are not what they seem. They are evil, vile people that ignored all of the signs of what Eadmund was doing. She knows that some of the blame lays on her because she didn't do anything, and that's something she'll have to live with. Perhaps she'll be able to redeem herself by making sure that Accalia is taken care of, and that the event that happened tonight doesn't ruin her.

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"Eadmund was later hanged for what he did to me, and his wife was sentenced to death soon after. She knew what was happening and didn't bother to stop him," Accalia murmurs quietly. "All traces of him have been erased from our home, except one family portrait. My parents still hold onto that to remind them of the good old days, when they lived in ignorance."

"Accalia..."

"The worst part is, I don't think my parents really hate Eadmund," Accalia says. "I'm fairly sure that the reason they killed him was because of how many people saw the after math of what I did. There was blood everywhere. I do think that they feel bad for ignoring my warnings, but they still love Eadmund, despite everything he's done to me."

"They're...not who I thought they were, your parents," Harry says quietly. He had known that they were cruel and would sentence innocent people to death, but he didn't think that they'd be so cruel to their own daughter. It's then that Harry knows that he really is in too deep. He knows that he's fallen deeply in love with her, and there's absolutely nothing he can do about it. Somehow, Accalia Starling got under his skin and managed to wiggle her way into his heart.

"I have to act like I forgive them for everything, but I don't. As much as I hate to admit it, I sometimes wish they were dead. I hate them so much and I have to act like they're forgiven when they're not," Accalia admits. It's felt really good to tell Harry everything that happened to her. It's nice to confide in someone and she's glad that it's Harry.

"I'm sure you're not the only one," he whispers very quietly. There's a few moments of silence before his heart begins to beat wildly. He gets out of bed rather abruptly, causing Accalia to let out a quiet gasp of surprise.

"Harry, what—"

"I have to go," he says. "I can't be here, especially with you."

"What? Why?" Accalia asks, her eyes widening.

"I'm dangerous for you, Accalia. I need to leave this and you before things get out of hand," Harry says quickly. "I've got to go."

"Wait, Harry—" Accalia begins frantically as she begins to get out of bed.

"I'm sorry, Miss Starling," he says before leaving the room, leaving Accalia alone with a broken heart.

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a/n: this chapter was really hard to write because of what happens between Accalia and her brother. I did it the way I did because it's how I planned, and because it's integral to the story. I am very sorry if I upset anyone or if it was triggering in any way. I didn't add a lot of detail because incest is disgusting. It's horrible.

This is the most graphic (in terms of triggering events) that the story will get. I promise. This was meant to reveal some information that I know some of you were asking. Some of you were very close, but I didn't respond because it would have given away some of what I have planned.

Anyways, please tell me what you thought of this chapter, as well as this story overall. I am always looking for ways to improve my stories/writing.