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“I wish she’d left him. I promised her everything she wanted, yet she refused. Most of the answers to your questions are on the drive I’ve given you. If you’d like to sit at my desk and read through it, you’re welcome,” he responds, gesturing with his hand toward his office.
I want to accept his offer, but I don’t trust him. Even though he no longer has any reason to lie, I know I can’t take my uncle at his word. I learned that a long time ago.
“Thane, why did you abandon me after the accident?” Watching for his reaction, I continue, “And why did my mother fake her own death and leave me? If you had so much influence over her, why didn’t you make her see reason? She didn’t have to pretend to be dead. Why didn’t you persuade her to stay in Tynewood?”
He turns away from me, and if I’m not mistaken, I see a flicker of pain in his expression. I want to know what it means, but the moment passes too quickly for me to dwell on it.
“I have something to sort out,” Thane tells me, ignoring my questions. “Sit. Read all you need to. The information on that drive will give you far better answers than I can. I’ll be back in an hour.”
He leaves me standing on the patio, and I know I have to do this. While Grecia’s resting, I need to get to the bottom of my family’s dark secrets, once and for all.
CHAPTER 11
TARIAN
I slip into Thane’s office chair and tap the track pad of his laptop to wake it. Inserting the USB, I click on the small yellow folder that pops up and find a myriad of files, including three letters each labeled with a different name—Thane, Tarian, and Theodore.
The files contain all our details, right down to blood type and medical backgrounds. It must be information my mother has gathered because I doubt Thane would need any of this. It does beg the question, though, if Thane knew what my mother was planning, why didn’t he try to stop her.
There’s a folder with a video file attached, but I don’t know if I want to open it. The thought of seeing her face and hearing her voice makes me nervous. I’ve never been scared in my life, not even when I found out my parents had died. I’ve always been strong, until now.
Standing up, I walk over to the bar and pour myself a double shot of whiskey. Then returning to the desk, I settle back down in the chair, gulp down my drink, and take a long, deep breath.
Thankfully I’m alone. I’m not sure I’d be able to do this if Grecia was watching. The thought of her seeing me like this doesn’t sit well. I’m willing to show her my strength, but showing her any weakness is far too intimate.
Opening the letter labeled with my father’s name, I sit back and read the contents. The words slowly sink into my soul, tarnishing and darkening it to the point of pain. According to my mother’s version of events, she endured violence I never knew my father was capable of inflicting. Instances of the abuse she suffered riddle her confession about the man she married.
Growing up, I never saw my parents fight. Never heard them argue. But what my mother’s describing here makes him sound like a tyrant. I continue scanning her words until I reach the last paragraph, which I read in full.
It was always my dream to escape from your rule. I was desperate to be free from your heavy hands and violent words. With your death, I found my freedom. I never wanted Tarian to join the Sovereign, but you were adamant, so I honored your wishes and left him to be raised in Tynewood. I’ll make sure Thane does what’s needed, and after I’m gone, Tarian will know the truth about how you behaved when anger took hold of you. I don’t intend to live this life much longer, but before I go, I’m planning to see our son one final time.
I don’t understand what my mother means. She made me believe she was dead, and when she returned a few months ago with Thane, she didn’t even offer me a second glance. Granted, I didn’t give her much of a chance. I was too angry. But this letter suggests that she cares about me and wants to see me.
I flick through the folders, and there, scanned into the laptop, is my father’s will. The document that was read out after his death. I open the images and scrutinize the words my father had agreed with his solicitor. The signed document confirms what I already know. My father wanted me to become a Crown, and he wanted his brother to raise me in the event my mother passed away.
I wish my mother was here so I could question her, but I know she’s not in this house. If she was, Thane would’ve told her to come to see me. Or he would’ve insisted I go to her.
Next, I click on the letter addressed to Thane. It looks like it was saved only a few months ago, around the time my mother came back to Tynewood and I found out she was still alive. I can’t read my letter yet. I need more time to adjust to the truth about my father.
My dearest Thane,
You’ve given me a life I never thought possible, but my son has always been the one thing that’s missing.
As much as I love you and want to spend eternity with you, by your side, I know it can never be. Our star-crossed love was destined to die.
There have been many times over the years when I’ve done things that I haven’t been proud of, but even when you learned about them, you still loved me. I never deserved you, and I didn’t deserve the beautiful boys I gave birth to.
When you talk to Tarian, tell him I wasn’t worthy of either of them, but I pray he can find it in his heart to forgive you. I know I’ve hurt my son, but please don’t cause him any more pain by telling him the other things I’ve worked so hard to hide. He can never know what I did.
I never expected Tarian to want me in his life, but I need to see him one last time. Once I have, I beg you to end my suffering as I asked you to do on that fateful night I killed your brother. I did it because I knew you never could.
You’ve always been far too soft for this life. You would never have made a Crown, because you have to be ruthless to be one. That’s why I never wanted my son to become part of the Sovereign. I didn’t want him to lose his humanity. However, Theodore was insistent that Tarian should join, and I wanted to abide by his last wishes. My son was always destined to become a Crown, and now he’s an adult, there’s nothing I can do about it.
No parent can stop their children from doing what they want, especially once they are of age.
Before I go, I want to say one last thing. I want you to know I will forever be grateful that you chose me over the family that you could have had. Even though you have a daughter, you gave her up for me. You chose me over a life that would have granted you everything you craved—a wife, a child, and a happy ever after.
When the time comes, I beg of you to grant my final wish. Don’t doubt my choice. It’s what I want.
