Page 165 of Bound By Crimson

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It had all been there.

Hints.

Whispers.

But nothing had prepared her for the truth Eden’s journal forced her to see.

She opened her eyes again, staring at the last page like it might catch fire in her hands.

This was her mother.

Eden Thornwick wasn’t some distant ghost.

She was real.

Flesh and blood.

And Malachai—

Her stomach twisted so violently she gagged.

Malachai was Eden’s brother.

She froze.

Her thoughts stuttered, unable to keep up.

That meant—

Oh God.

Malachai… is my uncle.

Her mouth went dry. Her skin crawled.

She clutched the journal tighter, digging her nails into the leather cover, as her mind shattered into pieces.

No. No. No.

This can’t be real.

Her mind rejected it, but the truth sat there—sharp and unmoving.

He knew.

From the beginning, he knew.

And still… he had looked at her like that.

Held her like that.

Loved her like that.

A sob tore up her throat before she could stop it, raw and broken.

What was wrong with her?

Even now—even after everything—

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