“There are things in this world, Tiffany, that you don’t want to understand,” he said, his voice low and measured.
My heart pounded as he reached past me, his hand brushing mine as he locked the file drawer. The click echoed like a judge’s gavel.
“Trust is fragile,” he murmured, his breath warm against my ear. “Don’t break mine.”
I didn’t dare speak as we left the orphanage, the silence between us thick and suffocating. It wasn’t until we were back in his car that he finally broke it.
“You’re upset.”
I stared out the window, the city lights blurring as we sped through the streets. “I just... need answers, Nathaniel.”
“Answers to what?”
I turned to face him, anger bubbling to the surface. “To who you really are.”
His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might actually tell me. But instead, he changed the subject.
“You’ll know when it’s time.”
The words felt like a dismissal, and I hated how easily he could shut me out.
Later that night, as I sat in my apartment, my frustration boiled over. I couldn’t ignore the puzzle pieces anymore. His charity work, his guarded demeanor, the flashes of darkness I’d glimpsed.
And then there was Clara’s innocent warning: [You’ll see.]
Desperate for clarity, I reached for the envelope Lucas had given me earlier that week. Its contents were like poison, but I needed the antidote.
I sifted through the photos, my fingers brushed against a folded piece of paper I hadn’t noticed before.
Unfolding it, I read the scrawled handwriting, my breath catching as the words sank in.
Nathaniel, I’m sorry for what we did. I never wanted you to carry this burden alone. Forgive me—Mother.
The room spun as the letter fell from my trembling hands.
“What burden?” I whispered to the empty room.
My phone buzzed, jolting me out of my spiraling thoughts. It was a message from Nathaniel:
“Meet me at the docks. Midnight.”
My stomach twisted. I didn’t know what awaited me there, but one thing was clear: I was about to uncover the truth—or be destroyed by it.
