Is that why she's gone MIA? Was she looking into this, and something terrible happened to her? Or does she have to lie low because someone discovered her real identity?
"Do you know where Ellie is?" he inquires, measuring my reaction closely.
I don’t know why, but something about the way he asks the question bothers me. It’s a valid question and everything, but I don’t know… Maybe I’m just being paranoid.
I shake my head. "No. She sent me this message saying I needed to be careful and that I wouldn't be able to get a hold of her for a while. And I haven't been able to either." I fall silent, sorting through my thoughts. "I still don't understand why you suspected I was your daughter. I know you thought I looked like Ellie, but she's also related to Evalynn. And even if you wondered if I was her daughter, why would you assume you were the father?"
Sadness floods his features. "This isn't something I'm proud of, but when Ellie and I were secretly dating, she told me she was pregnant." He stares down at his hands. "I told her I couldn't be a father, because I was already betrothed to another woman. And while I didn't love the woman I was betrothed to, going against my family’s wishes felt… ominous, I guess."
The gravity of his words presses against my chest. This sounds similar to mine and River's situation.
"After that, Ellie and I didn't speak for a few weeks, and I hated every second of it. But when I finally got hold of her again, she told me… She told me she lied about being pregnant because she was trying to get me to marry her. I've always had doubts that she was being truthful. I've wondered if she told me that because she no longer trusted me with the knowledge that her—and you—are Everfords. And she has every right to not trust me. I betrayed her." He exhales slowly, then he elevates his gaze to mine. "But when I saw you in the grocery store, you looked so much like her." He pauses. "And you look like me. I can see so much of myself in you. You have my nose and my eyes."
I instinctively touch my nose, but then lower my hand. "I don't know how to feel about this. It's a lot to process. I think I need to go. I'm not sure what you want from me, but I need time to think about this and figure some stuff out." Like figuring out if I actually believe him.
I need to speak to Ellie. She’ll have answers. She’ll know if this is true. But how the hell do I find someone that doesn’t want to be found?
"I understand that. I do. And the reality is that until we can get more answers and find Ellie, we need to keep this as quiet as possible." He leans forward. "However, I need to ensure you stay safe, so I'd like one of my bodyguards to watch you once you return to the academy. Based on rumors, classes start again on Monday. I have a house near the academy, and my best bodyguard will be stationed there. He'll do sporadic checkups on the perimeter of the academy."
I crinkle my nose. "That sounds a little too royal for me."
"Maddison, you are a royal," he reminds me. "Maybe you don't want to be, but most of the blood flowing through your veins is royal blood. And dangerous royal blood." He reclines back in the sofa and considers something. "Are you just friends with River Averson?”
"That's a complicated question," I reply truthfully, causing his brows to knit. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I’m trying to figure out how many people could be suspicious of your bloodline.”
"Well, just for full disclosure, River already suspects I'm an Everford. He and I were looking into it."
A crinkle forms between his brows. "How did that happen?”
"Because River saw this necklace Ellie gave me that has a rose pendant. River recognized it as a royal necklace, so we were looking into that, and it led us down the rabbit hole of the Everfords."
"I don't like that he knows," he states disapprovingly. “From now on, you need to be more careful about who finds out about this.”
“River is trustworthy. There's this society at the academy that came after me, drugged me, and left me in the woods. River found me by tracking my watch's GPS. He…” I have to catch my breath at how relieved River looked when he found me in the woods. I've never had anyone care about me like he does. "But anyway," I clear my throat as emotions surface that I'm unsure how to cope with. "I trust him. He'd protect me before he'd let anyone hurt me."
He deliberates this warily. "Just be careful, Maddison. That’s all I’m saying. If the wrong people find out who you are, it’ll be bad. The Everfords… Their bloodline was extinct for a reason.”
“What reasons, though? I’ve heard stuff, but never a full story.”
“That’s for another time. Right now, I need to attend to some things,” he replies, rising to his feet. "Until then, please keep this conversation between you and me. I don't want anything to happen to you. I've already failed you as a father once. I don't want to do that again."
I want to believe him, but like I've said a dozen times, trust doesn't come easy to me, so until he proves that to me, I'll be skeptical of him.
I'll also continue my search for Ellie on my own because I'm not about to leave my fate in anyone else's hands. Including some random man who insists he’s my father.
Because fathers and mothers don’t mean shit to me. In fact, the only mother and father I’ve known, fake or not, stabbed me in the back multiple times. So who’s to say this guy won’t?
Even if he’s the real deal, I can’t trust him.
CHAPTER 2
RIVER
Finnand I are at my mother's three-story home located on the city outskirts, where the air is still, but the city lights can be seen. Similar homes line the street, along with towering lampposts. Her yard is massive and well-maintained with flourishing flowers and shrubbery. The brick driveway curves up to the front door, the entire property is secured with tall iron gates, and the only way in is by knowing the code.
"How could someone get in here?" I mutter as we stand in the living room, talking to the detective working the case. "There are gates and cameras everywhere. My mother would've known if someone trespassed."
