Madeline’s eyes, though worn and aged, fix on me with a depth of emotion I can barely comprehend. She blinks rapidly, as if trying to force away a lifetime of sorrow and secrets. Her presence alone is a storm of emotions, a hurricane I can’t escape.She settles into her own chair, her movements graceful yet filled with a heaviness that hangs in the air like a suffocating blanket.
She clears her throat, and I watch as her thin, bony fingers tangle on top of a stack of papers. “Would you like Daniel and Evelyn to stay for this or...?” Her voice trails off, giving me a chance to decide on my own.
I inhale a sharp, trembling breath, feeling the tension grip my chest like a vice. My fists clench the chair’s arms, my knuckles turning bone-white as I grapple with an avalanche of feelings I can barely process.
It’s so much, nearlytoomuch.
Daniel and Evelyn have been my unwavering constants, the parents who have loved and protected me for as long as I can remember. They’ve given me a home, a sense of belonging, and the love I’ve yearned for. They helped me heal after…
I shake away his name.
They’ve been there for me as much as they could be, as much as I’d allow them to be. But now, in this surreal moment, as I sit in this unfamiliar office, gazing into the eyes of the woman who gave birth to me, I’m engulfed by a wave of doubt.
Can I trust them with the secrets that have been buried for so long when they’ve clearly been a part of it? For the years they listened to me cry, listened to me beg for just one flicker of my past, all the while knowing exactly who I was.
Were they in on it?
My throat clogs at the thought, but then, something deeper, darker, surges forward.
Did they know about Eric?
My eyes flit to Madeline.
Did she?
The weight of my decision bears down on me, and the room seems to close in, squeezing me in its vise-like grip as I struggle to make any decision at all when I can’t even bring myself tospeak. My entire body is trembling, my heart fracturing, and I’m trying,tryingso hard to keep it all together.
I clench my eyes shut, blocking out the overwhelming rush of memories and emotions. My heart thunders in my chest, a rapid, erratic rhythm echoing my fear. Each breath feels like a struggle, coming in shallow, uneven gasps that betray the turmoil inside me.
In the depths of my mind, I conjure images of Madd’s goofy smile, Nyx’s unwavering strength, Gage’s protective embrace, Hunter’s soothing words, and Stone’s quiet reassurance. I see them, their faces filled with love and warmth, kissing away my fears, and showering me with a sense of belonging I’ve longed for my entire life.
But then, the darkness sweeps over me, and I’m transported back to last night in the desolate parking lot, where lifeless bodies littered the ground like discarded trash.
My men.
My life.
My world.
Gone.
My eyes snap open as I inhale a sharp, shuddering breath, my body visibly trembling with fear and heartache. My chest aches with the weight of unanswered questions, my eyes welling up with tears that threaten to spill over.
I slide my eyes to theirs. Instead of Evelyn’s tear-stained eyes and wrinkled face, all I see is a black ski mask. Instead of Daniel’s thin, tall frame draped in street clothes, I see him decked out in tactical gear while he wields a gun he should know nothing about.
They were there in that fucking parking lot. They saw everything
They brokeeverything.
I need answers.
“I need them here,” I finally manage to say, my voice stronger than I feel.
The pain and fear that course through me are etched into every line of my body, every strained breath, as I cling to the hope that my family holds the key to unlocking the secrets that have tormented me for far too long.
I turn to Madeline and straighten my shoulders. “You’re right.” I fold my hands over my crossed legs, hoping she can’t see how badly I’m shaking. “We do need to talk.”Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.“Staring with you telling me where the hell you’ve been for the last decade,Mother.”
Chapter 10
