Page 98 of Twisted Truths
Gabriel nods grimly. “Which means we have less than a week, at best. But they’re going to have Franklin carefully guarded after my exile. Regardless of his actual parentage, they know I’ll never let them put him in danger.” He meets my eyes, his tortured expression terrifying. “This ritual is what makesme believe my parents were involved in your family’s murders. It requires the blood of the Divine Light’s ancestors, and since it’s possible they know Franklin’s not mine, they would have needed Zara’s blood.”
A guttural sound breaks through the silence of the kitchen, and I realise it came from me. Hadley’s fingers brush the backs of my hands, and I curl mine around hers, holding on for dear life.
“We have to get him out,” she implores.
“We will,” Gabriel assures her. “But we need to be smart about this. They’ll be on high alert. We will only have one chance at this, and once we get him out, you need to leave.”
I shake my head, realisation dawning. “I need time to get a passport sorted for him. Does he even have a birth certificate?”
Hadley’s body tenses, and she slowly releases herself from my hold, stepping away from me.
Silence stretches between us, thick with something I know I’m not going to like. She doesn’t look at me, moving over to stare out the window, wrapping her arms around herself like she’s trying to hold in whatever’s breaking apart inside her.
“Hadley—”
“I can’t go with you,” she interrupts, her voice soft, guarded.
“What?” The words come out sharper than I intend, but I can’t hide the panic curling hot around my chest.
She releases a shaky exhale. “I don’t have a passport. Or a birth certificate. It was all lost when Madeline and I went into the system. No one ever filed anything official.” Her voice cracks as she finally looks at me, tears shining in her green eyes. “Without the original documents, I can’t leave the country. I can’t come with you.”
The weight of it slams into me, the sudden, brutal realisation that she’s trapped. She’s already been written out ofthis story, her life in ruins, like so many other lives the Circle has destroyed.
“No,” I say, stepping towards her. “That is not an option. I’m not leaving you behind.”
“Nash—”
“I’m not leaving without you,” I snap. “You and Franklin are the only reasons I’m still breathing. I don’t care if I have to forge documents, buy identities, or drag the Prime Minister into a back alley and force him to sign the bloody papers himself. I’m getting you both out.”
She opens her mouth to argue, but I don’t let her.
“We’re in this together. Zara asked you to keep Franklin safe for a reason ,” I say, my voice steady as I close the distance she created between us. “You healed my shredded heart.” Reaching for her hand, I place it on my chest, above my racing organ. I’m not losing her. “You’ve given my life purpose again, Hadley. I can’t do this without you. It’s not an option.”
A beat of silence follows my declaration, thick with emotion. Her glassy eyes study my face as if she’s looking for doubt in my words, but she won’t find it. I mean every word.
I was devastated by the loss of my family, and while that pain hasn’t lessened, her presence makes it bearable. Hadley gives me hope that this world is not the desolate place it feels like right now. If there’s even the slightest chance of keeping her and getting Franklin out of the Circle safely, I’ll do whatever it takes.
Gabriel clears his throat behind us. “I’m glad you feel that way,” he says.
We both turn towards him.
“I knew there was a chance Hadley wouldn’t have documentation, so I handled it.”
My chest tightens. “What do you mean, you handled it?”
Gabriel sets a thick, sealed envelope on the bench. “BirthCertificates and passports for both Hadley and Franklin. The kind that will hold up under any spotlight. There are also plane tickets for the three of you back to Boston next week.” He smiles sadly. “I’m not blind. I could see the way you two looked at each other. I was hoping you’d work everything out in my absence.”
I stare at him. “You did this?”
He nods. “Madeline meant the world to me, and I want to see Hadley get the life she deserves. She won’t get that here. You look at her the way I used to look at her sister. I know you’ll protect her.”
Hadley sniffs, her body trembling as she leans into me again. “What about you?”
Gabriel gives her a sad smile. “I’ll be fine.”
“Come with us,” I suggest, shocking the shit out of everyone in the room, no one more so than myself. I’ve spent a third of my life hating Gabriel, but I can’t deny I feel sorry for him. He never asked for any of this, and he’s lost just as much as I have.
He pauses for a beat, then shakes his head. “Thanks, but you guys need a fresh start. I have my brothers, and they’re going to need some help after we shut everything down.”
