Page 107 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

“Let me introduce you to one of the finest illusionists in the city, and apparently one of its best actresses,Morana.”

CHAPTER 23

“What are you talking about?”

I look at Alana, hoping this is all just some hoax, a con to make me trust Kaladar and not her.

“Alana?”

She gives me an answering arrogant smirk as Kaladar steps closer to her.

“You see, Morana here, or as you know her,dear sweet Alana, has been playing you.”

My heart drops to my stomach, my world tilting at his words.

“No! No, that’s not…” I look to Alana, pleading with her to tell me he’s lying. That he’s making it up!Anything but what he just said.

“No.” Not after all these years, not after everything we’ve been through.

He’s playing a cruel trick, trying to deceive us, he has to be…

No longer a frightened meek woman that was slowly fading from the world, instead stood an arrogant double.

I shake my head, swallowing the large lump stuck in my throat.

It was another illusion. This wasn’t Alana, it couldn’t be. I had hugged her weak body. Seen her bruises and hollow eyes.

“You’re lying.” I blink back the burn in my eyes, each time hoping the scene in front of me will change.

But it doesn’t.

Even with the truth staring me in the eyes, I can’t believe it. She cares. I could see it in her eyes. She couldn’t have faked that. Not all this time.

Kaladar chuckles in delight. “You can see the truth for yourself. You can choose to believe it or not. Either way it doesn’t affect me.”

My mind tumbles between reality and wanting to believe I’m in some sort of messed up dream, a hallucination from too many beatings, too many deaths.

But the truth stares me in the eyes, a haughty look on her face.

The woman in front of me is not the one I know and grew up with. The one who was a constant comfort when I needed her the most.

This had to be King’s doing. Maybe he threatened her. Maybe—

“I can see the tables turning behind those gullible wide-eyes of yours. Let me guess, you’re still trying to come up with some plausible way that what you’re seeing isn’t true?”

“King—

The imposter cackles, amusement flaring in her eyes. “King would do anything for me. He loves me.”

A deep ache flares inside me, something far more painful than the physical torture from King.

Love. Trust.

All broken with those three little words.

Sheloveshim? I feel like I’ve been sucker punched. My breath taken from me with each word. Each a slap to the face.

The deep pain lingers, spreading like a malignant tumour wanting to ravage my body and mind.

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