Chapter 71

Everyone froze. The room was cold with silence, like time itself had stopped. Logan stood in front of me, unmoving, his breath shallow and tight with rage. He didn’t blink. He didn’t speak. Just held his ground. For me. “Stay behind me,” he ordered, not even glancing back. I obeyed without a word. Across from us, his father’s eyes were locked on me. Not with anger—worse. He looked like he had seen a ghost. “What’s your full name?” he asked, voice low and heavy. I hesitated, but I had nothing to hide. “Haley Reed.” He shook his head slowly, as if trying to make sense of something that didn’t. “Your mother’s full name,” he demanded. That question again. The mayor’s wife had asked me the same thing days ago, with the same pale face and tight lips. “Clarissa White,” I said, confused. His father stumbled back one step, like my words physically hit him. “No…” he whispered, pressing a hand to his forehead. “No, this… this can’t be.” “What’s going on?” Logan growled. “What does this have to do