Chapter 272

"We never knew," I whisper, squeezing Meadow’s sleeping form tighter. Needing physical touch to comfort and ground my spiraling emotions as the guilt eats away heavily at my heart. "You wouldn’t..... he wasn't exactly public about it. Those he ended were taken down in the cells, and he burned their bodies to clean up the mess under his cloak of deceit. The people only assumed they were kept there or ran after you when freed. I'm guessing those who got here after figured it out when they didn't find them waiting, or maybe they think they are all still locked up in the cells. Who knows? I just saw too many die when I was down there and wondered why he never killed me." "Your father... you're his only legacy, even if he has nothing to do with you. Juan is all about bloodline, so despite your father not wanting you, he wouldn't remove his beta's chance of a future. Juan's twisted like that." I say it numbly, like the logical part of my brain can still pull together thoughts while my emotio