Page 127 of Crowned In Venom

She crouches, reaching for my face, her nails grazing my cheek.

I flinch.

But she catches my jaw, forcing me to meet her gaze.

"So much like him," she whispers, almost reverent. "Your father."

I go rigid.

Not this.

Not again.

Her silver eyes gleam with something sick, something twisted.

"Do you know what he looked like when he was in love?"

I stiffen.

She tilts her head, a cruel smile curling her lips.

"Like this."

Her fingers trail along my face.

"Desperate."

"Foolish."

"Blind."

My stomach turns.

"You talk about him," I grind out, my voice like gravel. "But the more you speak?—"

I pause.

A horrible thought slams into my mind.

I swallow hard.

No.

No, it can't be.

But—

Her expression shifts.

Something wild flickers in her eyes.

Then, she laughs.

A sound that is not right.

"Ah," she breathes, voice dripping with amusement. "You're beginning to understand, aren't you?"

My heart pounds against my ribs.

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