Page 64 of The Truth Between

Slowly, the fight seemed to drain out of Parker. This isn’t how I wanted things to end up, but that’s where we were at this point. “I need you to promise me something.” I waited a beat, ensuring I had his attention. “Promise me you won’t try to hurt Iris, and I’ll let you go.”

There was a pause, a brief moment where the only sound was our collective breathing, heavy and uneven. For a second, I wondered if he would refuse my request. If he would let his anger take over once more. But then he nodded, his voice a hoarse whisper as he said, “Okay. . . I promise.”

I hesitated as I tried to gauge the sincerity behind those words. This was a gamble, but I needed to de-escalate this situation. Slowly, I loosened my grip, ready to react if he decided to go against what he’d said.

As I released him, Parker stayed still for a moment, then pushed himself up to a sitting position. He didn’t look at me, his gaze fixed on the floor, making it so that I couldn’t see his expression.

I stood up, keeping a cautious distance, my stare focused on him. “We need to talk.”

Parker just nodded again, silently acknowledging my words. It was all that I could ask for at the moment,

As the tension in the hallway began to dissipate, Iris stepped forward. How I wished that her eyes were on me, but they were fixed on Parker. She stopped a short distance away as Parker, who was still sitting on the floor, collected himself.

“Parker,” Iris’s voice cut through the lingering silence. “Was Margaret Turner one of the founders of the Chevaliers?”

The question hung in the air. Parker, who had been looking down, lifted his gaze to meet Iris’s. For a moment, Parker seemed to weigh his response, his eyes searching Iris’s face as he decided how to answer her question.

Finally, with a slow exhale, Parker nodded. “Yes,” he admitted, his voice low. “Margaret Turner was one of the founders.”

Iris’s reaction was a mixture of emotions—vindication, surprise, and a deeper curiosity. This revelation was the single most significant piece of the puzzle she was trying to piece together and now, at last, an answer had been given.

39

IRIS

My lip trembled as the words circled around my head on repeat.

Margaret Turner was one of the founders.

The silence in the room surrounded us, suffocating all its occupants, including me. It almost felt as if the room was closing in on me, which was the opposite of the reaction I thought I would have to this news.I couldn’t shift my gaze from Parker’s face. Finally, I spoke. “Tell me what you know about Margaret Turner and the Chevaliers. I need to know everything.”

“Margaret Turner was an intricate part of the founding of the Chevaliers. Back when the Chevaliers began, things were different, especially for women,” Parker said. “They were often pushed into the background, no matter how brilliant they were.”

I braced myself, not knowing if I was prepared for what he was about to say next.

“All of the credit for the Chevaliers went to Eddison Payne,Theodore Cyrus, and Otto Frederick,” Parker continued. “But, in reality, a lot of their foundational work, the core ideas and principles, they were all because of Margaret.”

I didn’t expect to feel the amount of anger that I felt, having confirmed what I’d been told by Gran. The Chevaliers had been built on Margaret’s ideas, and she got none of the credit, nor were women allowed to join the organization. “So, you’re telling me the Chevaliers are more Margaret Turner’s brainchild than Payne’s, and he,Theodore Cyrus, and Otto Frederick are the ones who got all the glory?”

Parker nodded and sighed. “Exactly. Only a handful of us know just how much Margaret shaped this organization. Her thoughts were revolutionary, but the world just wasn’t ready for a woman like her.”

This was more than just some forgotten history. It was a massive injustice. Margaret Turner had been the real driving force behind an entire organization, and history had erased her. Well, more like buried her.

I let out a shaky breath, trying to calm my emotions the best I could. Rage filled me because of everything that happened. “The Chevaliers owe her big time, and it’s about time you recognized that. Not to mention that women also belong in this organization. And you know it.”

“You’re not going to tell me what the Chevaliers need to do.”

Parker’s words were filled with warning, but I didn’t care. I took a step forward and said, “Yes, I am. And you’re going to reform your admission standards to allow women to have a chance at being admitted too.”

I could see the wheels in Parker’s head turning andthat what I’d said had done anything but make him happy.

“You want me to change the way the Chevaliers do things? You think it’s that easy?” he said, his expression becoming more irritated the longer he stared at me. “You know it’s not going to be that easy. We’ve been around for decades, and this isn’t something we can just change overnight.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me. I could feel Aria and Soren staring holes into me, probably wondering where this was going to end up. What I did know was that I refused to back down.

“Margaret Turner deserves recognition for what she did, and women deserve a chance to join this organization too,” I said.

“No.” Parker’s response was swift, but I refused to be deterred.

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