Page 47 of The Broken Queen

“I didn’t-”

“I’m starting to get that. I was taken away that night because I was framed for murder. I think your father framed me.”

My breath caught.So he did enjoy ruining my life. Not just mine, but Slade’s as well. Why did he hate us so much? What the hell did I ever do to him to warrant this kind of reaction?

All I ever wanted was to have a father that loved me. If it weren’t for Mother, I probably wouldn’t even be alive. Aftereverythinghe had done, hearing that he framed Slade for murder was another hard pill to swallow. If he was the doting father like most parents were, I would see it as he just wasn’t ready to let me go, but that wasn’t the case.

“He seems to think I had something to do with your mother’s murder.”

My blood ran cold.What the fuck?I knew for a fact he didn’t have anything to do with her murder. I witnessed everything, and while I didn’t know who the sole perpetrator was, it wasn’t Slade. He would never do anything to harm her. He loved her like a second mom, they would’ve done anything for each other. That’s why it was so easy to love him.

I sat there in silence, not sure how to process his words.Did Father hate me that much? That he had to take away the one person who meant the most to me? My fucking life line?

“He accused me of murder, and I was sent to prison. I was labeled a traitor. There was hate mail, both prisoners and guards were doing their best to beat me to death because I “murdered” their Queen. It took awhile, but I had good people on my side who helped me fight for the truth. I was exonerated shortly after I escaped and now they are looking for the real killer. That’s why there was no communication from me, and that’s why I left so abruptly. At first, I thought you were the one who sent me there, and that’s why I was so angry with you that night. I broke it off with you and never wanted to see you again. I had every intention of getting custody of Julianna and taking her from this shit hole.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. My breathing grew heavy.Was that what he was still planning? Once this was all said and done, he was going to take my daughter away?Black spots invaded my vision, I couldn’t breathe. He was going to kill me one way or another and if he took my daughter from me, he might as well have shoved a knife through my chest. I grabbed onto the covers hoping I would get out from the attack I was currently under.

My body started to shake, and warm, strong arms wrapped around me. They held me in place, gently rocking me back and forth on the bed. My thoughts started to settle, my breathing slowed down, and my vision became clear.

Once I felt I could breathe, I pushed him away. I’ve asked him this before, but every time I thought about it, I got sick to my stomach. This was one of the biggest problems with people who had kids. It was the “are they going to take my kids away” question that lingered anytime they were around each other. He could say no a million times, but my mind would always jump to that. Especially with the current situation we were in. “Is that what your endgame is? To take her away from me?”

He shook his head, his eyes filling with an emotion I couldn’t figure out. “No.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Once that thought had gone away, my brain started to piece together certain things.

Prison? Father was so cruel he had my daughter’s father sent to prison and claimed a traitor to the kingdom?I couldn’t even imagine the type of things he experienced there. Being labeled a murderer was one thing, but supposedly murdering the Queen would grant him the cruelest form of torture possible.

I had so many questions.How did he get out of there? Who helped him? Did my people still think he was a traitor?There was one question that stood out the most, and I couldn’t help but let it slip past my lips. “Do you know who murdered her?” My heart raced. I wanted nothing more than to find that person and make him pay for what he did to her.

His eyes met mine straight on. “Yes.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Raven

"Who?”

He shook his head. “I’m not telling you.”

“And why the fuck not?” He was really starting to piss me off. She was my mother, he had no right to keep that information from me. I didn’t care who the fuck he was to me. I should be able to know the truth.

I thought about that day all too often. The sirens going off. Her screams. The smell of blood slowly filling the house as my world began its heavy descent into darkness. That was the worst day of my life, and the fact that he was refusing to tell me what happened, made me want to punch him in his perfect face.

“You’ll do something rash and risk my plan. I can’t have that happen.”

“So instead I have to be kept in the dark? How does that make sense?” He was getting frustrated. His body was tense, and his eyes were seething. He was trying his hardest not to lash out at me.

“Trust me.” Two words, all he said was two words. It could’ve been anything else and I maybe would’ve been able to do it. Trust was a whole other word. Did I love him? Yes, beyond words. But trusting him was a hard thing to do. He left me once, how could I believe that he wouldn’t fuck me over again?

I looked away from him and swallowed the lump in my throat. “I can’t.”

I sat there for a minute, contemplating what to say next, what he would say next. I just wished we could forget the world and our responsibilities and be together.

“This won’t work if you can’t trust me. I need your help. I need you to trust me, Rav.” There it was, that nickname again. He knew how to twist my heartstrings. He was the puppeteer and I was his puppet.

I lifted my gaze to his and was shocked at what I saw. The normally composed man was standing in front of me, bearing all of his burdens. His usual icy gaze was filled with longing. Longing for a normal life? Longing for Julianna and myself to be back in his presence on a daily basis?

He took a step closer to me, and I sucked in a breath. His knees brushed against mine, and I had to tilt my head up to look him in the eyes. His fingers traced the outlines of my chin, and his touch drove me to the brink of insanity. I didn’t want to talk anymore. I just wanted to become one with him. It had been too long since I had his touch on my skin. I needed to feel it again. The rest could be sorted out later.

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