Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 127933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
The room seemed to tilt for a moment, everything spinning out of control. I could feel the weight of my reflection behind me, like it was watching, waiting, judging.
I couldn’t face it.
I couldn’t face her.
With a sharp breath, I turned away from the mirror, refusing to look at myself, my pulse racing in my ears. My reflection wouldn’t just show my face—it would show everything I was struggling to keep inside. The questions, the confusion, the growing connection to a place and a man I had just barely began to understand. I took a shaky breath, leaning back against the cool bathroom wall, the sound of the running water fading into the background.
My mind was racing, but the realization of what I’d just learned sat heavy in my chest. Alexander and I— We were family. Not strangers, not lovers who just happened to find each other.
It wasn’t a complete shock. Alexander had alluded to it more than once. I’d tried to find the connection. I just hadn’t known how deep the connection went. So many times, he told me we were bound by something more than his obsession, something that had always tied me to the Isle. I couldn’t deny that I knew it would be something like this. Now, the truth felt strange, but not as horrifying as I thought it would be. Maybe it was because I had already accepted so much about him—his darkness, his ruthlessness, his role as Diabolus.
The family aspect was just another piece of the puzzle, another facet of the twisted world I had been pulled into. The fact that we shared blood made this all feel inevitable, like we had been destined for this from the start. I let out a bitter laugh, running a hand through my hair. I should’ve been disgusted or scared. Instead, I felt conflicted. Why hadn’t he just told me? He had kept this from me, knowing full well what it would mean.
It wasn’t just the Isle that had claimed me; it was my blood, my family. My thoughts circled back to everything that had happened between us, how deeply he had intwined himself into my life, my mind, my heart. I gripped the sink again, squeezing my eyes shut. What did this mean for us now? Did it mean anything at all in the grand scheme of things?
No matter how much I wrestled with this revelation, it didn’t change the way I felt about him. There’d been something pulling us together from the very beginning, transcending the boundaries of right and wrong. Just as my thoughts spiraled deeper into the unsettling truth about Alexander and me, something caught my eye—a small piece of paper slipping beneath the door. I froze, staring at it, my mind immediately wondering Adelita?
No. Adelita wouldn’t risk something like this, not now. She may have warned me long ago, but it was clear she loved her son—Alexander. She wouldn’t betray him again.
Heart pounding, I snatched the paper up, my fingers trembling slightly as I unfolded it. The handwriting was unfamiliar, and the message left me reeling.
I know how to help you.
1 week at Elmsworth Market. Row T4.
Confusion washed over me, my mind racing. Who wrote this? My pulse quickened, suspicion creeping in. This was a dangerous game, and I had no idea who had just pulled me into it. Without wasting another second, I tossed the paper into the toilet and flushed, watching as it swirled away, gone before anyone could trace it back to me. I couldn’t afford to hold on to it, not in this house.
I turned back to the sink, splashing cool water on my face, the chill seeping into my skin as I forced myself to breathe. One deep breath in, then another. My reflection blurred in the mirror, but I kept my eyes trained on the water, the sound grounding me in the moment.
I turned the sink off and patted my face dry, knowing I couldn’t hide out in the bathroom, no matter how luxurious it was. My heart was still racing, the message on the note haunting me, but I couldn’t let it show. I took one more deep breath, bracing myself, and pulled the door open. I took one last breath, trying to collect myself, and opened the door. I nearly jumped when I saw Esther leaning against the wall. Her expression was calm, though something about the way she was waiting for me stirred up a new kind of tension inside me.
"Have you been there the whole time?" I asked, trying to sound casual, but my voice came out more uncertain than I’d meant.
Esther laughed softly, shaking her head. "No, I was about to knock."
"Oh." I stepped out, feeling the unspoken heaviness between us.
She moved forward and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a hug.