Page 158 of Vicious Knight
“I’m in the deepest shock. Levgen ruined our lives. Your father has been in prison this whole time because of him and I had to give up everything to save us.” Her breath catches as she dries her tears. “I should have believed you. I should have believed you, but I never wanted to hear anything that could put us in danger.”
“I understand. What Levgen did was just… despicable. Dad thinks we’re dead.” Tears pull at my eyes and I can’t control the few that slide down my cheeks.
Mom sees me crying and takes my hand. “I have to fix this.”
“I think we can now.”
She pulls me in for a hug and holds me. We stay like that until a knock sounds at the door.
I get up to answer it and find Thorne standing on the other side.
Sympathy fills his eyes when he looks at Mom who has her head in her hands, weeping.
I step out of the room so Thorne and I can speak in private.
“She’s in a bad way.” I release a haggard breath that feels like it’s been fighting to break free of the compression in my lungs.
“I’m so sorry for everything.”
“I’m sorry for you too. I’m still linked to someone who hurt you deeply.” I bring my hands together. “It was bad enough when I felt like your enemy’s daughter, but when we realized that my father was set up I felt better. Only to realize now that my stepfather was the orchestrator of this disaster.”
“That’s on him. Not you. Never you.”
“Thank you for thinking like that.”
“Of course. Ivy, you are a victim. Just like me. You hear me?”
I nod. “Thank you for everything.”
“You are welcome.”
“How did you find out all that stuff? There was a lot there. It was everything.”
“Before the shooting I got a message from an unknown number warning me away from searching for the scar-faced man. I had someone look into it to find out who it came from. As soon as they were able to identify Levgen they found everything else.”
“I’m glad you were still looking after he told you to hand him everything.”
“Honestly I’d stopped because I didn’t want to put you in danger, but I wanted to know who sent me the message.”
“I can’t believe it was really him.”
“Monsters are often the people you know who hide behind the mask of kindness and love. You would never imagine that Levgen was responsible for any of this because he loved you. He loved you and your mother in a sick, selfish way.”
I nod, agreeing. “What happens now?”
“I’m heading back to campus. There’s some stuff I need to do for your father.”
My heart lifts as if carried up by wings. “My father?”
“Yeah. I think he’s been in prison long enough. I don’t want him to wait a minute longer.”
I move into him, hugging him hard. “Oh Thorne. Thank you so much.”
“It’s over now…Annika.” He says my name as if he’s trying it out for the first time. “It’s over. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
I look up at him. “Thanks to you.”
Four days later Mom, Thorne, and I wait outside the Knights’ central office.