Page 172 of Wicked Promises (Fallen Royals 3)

“Yeah.”

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I grin.

“What’s that smile for?” Lenora asks.

“I just… don’t feel any dread when my phone goes off.” I didn’t realize it until just this moment, but it’s true: Claire is gone. A weight has lifted.

Caleb: Can I come over?

I relay the question to my foster parents, and they nod.

Me: Is that even a question?

Robert frowns. “I feel like an awful parent for not realizing what you were going through.”

We walk slowly toward the car.

“I hid it well,” I admit. “And you’ve only known me for a few months. I got a text from Claire—Unknown, as I referred to her—the night before I went back to school.”

Lenora loops her arm with mine. “Didn’t Angela say she needed your number?”

I pause and tilt my head. “She did… But I think that was just something Claire said to cover her tracks. My number didn’t change between homes. Claire might’ve had it memorized or written down.”

“How do you feel?” Robert asks.

“I don’t know.” It’s the only answer I can give. I suck my lower lip into my mouth, biting down hard. Sometimes I feel myself slipping back into the darkness that wanted to hurt people: Matt, Claire. I didn’t use the knife Liam gave me, but… I punched them. I held a gun to Claire’s chest and seriously contemplated pulling the trigger.

Who am I?

In the car, heading home, I contemplate the situation at hand. My whole body trembles with the words bouncing around in my head.

Just say it, Margo.

“You guys can’t go through with the adoption,” I blurt out.

Lenora, at the wheel, snaps her eyes to the rearview mirror to see my face.

Robert nods, looking back at me. “Because your dad is innocent?”

I lift one shoulder. There’s a lump in my throat. “Because even if he wasn’t, I still wouldn’t have been able to give that up. I love you both…”

Robert reaches back, snagging my hand. “We love you, too. Adoption just makes things official. And, truth be told, we talked about this last night. You’re welcome in our house for as long as you want. And when your father gets out of prison, we’ll do what we can to help him, too.”

The burning in my eyes gets worse. “Really?”

“Yes,” Lenora says firmly. “No question.”

“Wow. How’d I get so lucky?”

Robert grins. “All it takes is a spark of luck to connect the right people.”

“Or the wrong ones,” I say.

He nods. “That, too.”

The rest of the trip passes quickly. My mind jumps from what’s going to happen to David and Lydia, to my mother’s words, to Dad in prison. He’s going to get out and have to start over, but he’s not alone.

Caleb’s car is idling out front when we arrive home.

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