Page 47 of Supernova

Adrian lifted his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m not here for your lies and excuses… I’m not even here for a confession. I just…” He dropped his hands to his sides. “I need answers. Please, Nova. If you ever… If any of it was real, then please… just tell me… who killed my mom?”

She blinked.

Opened her mouth, but found no words.

If any of it was real…

It had been real, she wanted to tell him. It had been more real to her than he could ever know.

But this? His mom? The murder?

She had no answers for him.

“I don’t know,” she whispered.

His hands balled into fists.

“Adrian, I know you don’t believe me right now, but I truly have no idea who killed Lady Indomitable. If I knew, I would have told you a long time ago, but I’m not—”

“Nightmare,” he said, spitting the name as if it tasted like sewage. “Tell me who killed her.”

“Adrian—”

“Tell me!” he yelled, pounding one hand on the glass.

Nova gasped, pushing back against the chair.

He flattened his palm on the window, as if he wanted nothing more than to snatch Nova out of the chains and shake her. “You know about the note. Nightmare said… I heard you say…”

Her brow furrowed, but Adrian seemed unable to continue.

“What?” she said, curiosity overtaking her concern. “What are you talking about?”

“‘One cannot be brave who has no fear.’”

Adrian fell silent, letting the words fill the cold chamber.

Nova gawked at him for so long, her mouth started to run dry.One cannot be brave who has no fear?

What surprised her most, what she had never expected, was that she did, in fact, know those words. She had heard them dozens of times over the past ten years, had even occasionally said them herself.

But what did they have to do with Lady Indomitable? And when had Nightmareeverspoken those words aroundAdrian?

Finally, when their silence had become unbearable, Nova licked her lips and said gently, slowly, “I’m sorry, Adrian, but I have no idea what that means.”

He seemed to draw inward at this statement. Perhaps he was losing hope that he might get answers today. Perhaps this interrogation was taking more out of him than he would admit.

“Those words were found on a slip of paper left on my mother’s body,” he said, watching her for a reaction.

Nova had no reason to hide her surprise from him. Why had he never told her this before?

And in that moment, it occurred to Nova that she had lied to Adrian yet again, though unwittingly this time.

Maybe, just maybe, she really did know who murdered his mother.

The thought made her veins feel brittle and cold.

If any of it was real…

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