Chapter 192

Agnes

“We’re here for you, Thea! Always and forever!”

The recorded sound of mine and Elijah’s voices filled the hotel room for what had to be the hundredth time today. Thea was sitting cross-legged on the bed, pressing the button on her new stuffed pig’s stomach over and over, a small smile on her face each time our voices played.

“We’re here for you, Thea! Always and forever!”

I glanced up from my laptop and watched her for a moment. Yesterday, after the awkward press conference in front of our burnt home, we’d taken her to the mall to pick out a new stuffed animal.

This time, she’d chosen a bright pink pig with a white spot over its eye and floppy ears. She’d asked for a new message, too.

Honestly, I never got tired of hearing that little recording. Each time she pressed the button, it was a reminder that we were still a family.

“We’re here for you, Thea! Always and forever!”

Smiling softly, I turned my attention back to my laptop, scrolling through the builder’s plans for our new house. The shell of our old home had been deemed structurally unsound—no surprise there—and would need to be completely rebuilt.

Elijah had insisted that I help with the planning process, even though looking at these blueprints filled me with guilt. I was the reason we needed to rebuild in the first place.

The layout would be mostly the same as before, but we’d made a few changes. Thea’s room would be larger, with a bay window overlooking the gardens. The room that had once been my bedroom when I’d first moved in was going to be converted into a study just for me, complete with a sewing area for me to do my work in.

And Elijah had always wanted to expand the east wing, so we were taking the opportunity to do that now. We added a couple of new guest bedrooms that would share a conjoined bathroom, and were considering building Thea a playroom, but that was supposed to be a surprise. Elijah had also decided to move the home gym from the basement to the new wing so he could watch the sunrise while he did his daily workout.

Over the next few months, I’d be picking out furnishings for the new house. The insurance money would cover most of it without dipping into our personal funds, but there was so much to choose—furniture, fixtures, appliances.

Things I’d never given a second thought to before they were gone.

I sighed, closing the laptop. I couldn’t focus on house plans right now. Not when Elijah was at the prison, talking to Olivia.

He’d left early this morning without telling me what they were going to discuss. I had a sinking feeling that he might unmark her and thus kill her, and the thought made my stomach twist.

He had promised me he wouldn’t do it. He’d sworn up and down that he was only going to talk to her, nothing more. But these were desperate times. I’d nearly killed us all in that fire. What if he decided the risk was too great?

I’d never wanted Olivia dead, despite everything she’d done. And the thought of Elijah having blood on his hands, even for my sake, was an unsettling thought.

The anxiety was making me restless. I needed to do something, anything, to keep my mind occupied while I waited for him to return.

“Thea, honey,” I said, standing up and stretching, “how about we go shopping? We both need some new clothes.”

Thea immediately perked up. “Really?”

“Really,” I said with a smile. “Get dressed. We’ll make a day of it.”

The fire had destroyed everything we owned. We’d picked up a few necessities yesterday, since Thea and I quite literally only had our pajamas when we emerged from the fire, but we’d been so exhausted over the past few days that we hadn’t had the energy to do a real shopping trip.

We got ready quickly. I helped Thea put on the outfit we’d quickly picked up yesterday—jeans and a t-shirt with a unicorn on it—and I dressed in simple black pants and a blouse.

The mall was busy for a weekday afternoon. Thea held my hand as we navigated through the crowds, her other arm clutching her new pig tightly to her chest.

“Can we go there first?” she asked, pointing to a children’s clothing store with colorful displays in the windows.

“Sure,” I agreed, letting her lead the way.

Shopping with Thea was always an adventure. She had strong opinions for a seven-year-old, scrutinizing every item with a critical eye before deciding if it was worthy of her closet. Today was no exception.

“No, Mommy, not that one,” she said, shaking her head at a blue dress I’d suggested. “It doesn’t have any sparkles.”

I laughed and put it back on the rack. “Sparkles are a must, I see.”

“Always,” she agreed solemnly.

We ended up with a small pile of clothes for her—two dresses, several tops, a few pairs of pants, and some hair accessories.

After paying for Thea’s things, we moved on to a women’s boutique for me. I wasn’t particularly excited about shopping for myself. All I really wanted were the basics—a few comfortable outfits for everyday wear, nothing special.

But Thea had other ideas.

“Try this one, Mommy,” she insisted, pulling a light pink sundress from a nearby rack. The fabric was soft and flowy, with delicate straps and a fitted bodice that flared out into a swishy skirt.

I hesitated. “I don’t know, sweetheart. It’s not really my style.”

“Please?” She gave me her best puppy dog eyes. “You always look so pretty in pink.”

Unable to resist her pleading, I took the dress into the changing room. To my surprise, when I put it on, I actually liked what I saw in the mirror. The color brought warmth to my face, and the cut was flattering.

For a moment, I forgot about the fire, about my uncontrolled powers, about Elijah meeting with Olivia. I just felt… pretty. Like we were on vacation all over again.

When I stepped out to show Thea, her entire face lit up.

“See? You look like a princess!”

I couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll get it,” I said, deciding that a little color and femininity would do me some good right now. I picked up some nail polish and face masks too, so we could have a girls’ night at the hotel room once we got back.

By the time we were done, we each had several new outfits, some new bathing suits so we could enjoy the hotel pool later, a plethora of self care items, and I’d picked out some things for Elijah, too—basics like t-shirts and jeans that I knew he’d need.

After shopping, I picked up some soft pretzels for us. Thea ate hers with gusto, and I had to admit, the salty flavor made my appetite return. I ate mine and drank all of my lemonade, trying not to think about how I’d dropped a dress size over the past month and how I’d have to make sure I gained the weight back. If everything else was falling apart, I couldn’t afford to let my body fail me as well.

Finally, as we headed toward the mall exit, my arms laden with shopping bags, Thea skipped ahead of me, pressing the button on her pig.

I smiled at the sound of the recording, but the smile froze on my face as I looked up and saw a familiar figure heading our way.

My father.

He was walking directly toward us. What the hell was he doing here? He hadn’t bothered to show up for Isabella’s funeral. He’d been nowhere to be found after the fire. And now, suddenly, he was walking right toward me?

Why was he constantly pestering me lately?

Without hesitation, I scooped Thea up, balancing her on my hip despite the shopping bags hanging from my arms.

I didn’t even look at my father as I passed him. He wasn’t worth it.

“Agnes!” my father called out behind me. “Agnes, wait! Let’s talk.”

I ignored him and kept walking, pushing through the mall doors and into the parking lot. Thea peered over my shoulder, curious about the man calling my name, but I didn’t slow down.

“Who was that man?” she asked as I unlocked the car and got her situated in her carseat.

“Nobody important,” I replied, my hands shaking slightly as I buckled her in. “A stranger.”

I tossed our shopping bags into the trunk, then got into the driver’s seat. Through the rearview mirror, I could see my father emerging from the mall, still calling my name.

I started the engine and pulled out of the parking space, driving away before he could reach us.

Chapter 193: A Long Story

Elijah

After two months in prison, Olivia looked… different. I’d expected her to be haggard and half-insane by now, but the person I saw was nothing at all like that.

If anything, she looked better than she had on the outside. Her hair, no longer that fake bleached blonde but back to its natural light brown, was neatly pulled back in a low bun. Her face wasn’t caked with makeup the way it used to be, revealing clear skin underneath.

The only signs of her incarceration were the dark circles under her eyes and a solemn look that had replaced her usual haughty expression. Like two months in prison had actually stripped her of at least a shred of her pride and maybe, just maybe, she had a chance at becoming a normal person.

But that was a ridiculous notion. Olivia would never get better. I steeled myself against her humble appearance just in case she had plans to pull anything cunning.

Olivia sat up straighter when she saw me, her eyes widening slightly. “You actually came,” she said, sounding genuinely surprised. “I didn’t think you would.”

“I almost didn’t,” I replied flatly, remaining by the door. I had no intention of getting any closer to her than necessary, and I had a guard posted right behind me, waiting for my orders. “I only agreed because you’ve been pestering me for weeks, and frankly, I have more important things to deal with right now.”

“Right… I heard about the fire.” She tilted her head. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”

I let out a short, harsh laugh. “Right, Olivia. As if you actually give a shit.”

Her jaw tightened. “Believe it or not, Elijah, I actually don’t wish harm on you,” she countered. “Especially not Thea.”

“Just Agnes,” I said, to which she merely shrugged and pursed her lips.

I clenched my jaw and resisted the urge to storm out. “Okay. Let’s cut to the chase,” I said, crossing my arms tightly over my chest. “You wanted to see me, so here I am. What do you want?”

Olivia shifted on her cot, tucking one leg beneath her. “I have a proposition for you.”

“Of course you do,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. “Everything’s a transaction with you.”

She ignored my comment. “I have information,” she continued. “Information about Thea and Agnes. Information that I think you’d find… extremely valuable.”

That caught me off guard.

“What are you talking about?” I finally asked, lifting my chin.

Olivia smiled, a small, satisfied quirk of her lips. “I’d love to tell you, darling. But first, I want something in return.”

“Naturally,” I said dryly. “What is it?”

“I want my sentence reduced,” she replied without a moment of hesitation. She held up her hand when I opened my mouth to tell her to fuck off. “Not eliminated, just reduced. I want a chance at parole, too.”

I stared at her incredulously. “And what the hell makes you think you deserve that?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “That’s my price for pertinent information—something that you said you wanted when you threw me in here. Take it or leave it.”

“And why would I agree to that when I don’t even know what information you’re supposedly offering?” I asked.

“Because,” she said, leaning forward slightly, “you know me well enough to understand that I wouldn’t bother with this unless what I have is worth it.”

She had a point there. Olivia was many things—manipulative, selfish, cunning, and a slew of other vulgar words that I wouldn’t mention—but she was certainly not stupid. She wouldn’t play a weak hand, especially not from behind bars.

“Tell me what it is first,” I countered. “Then I’ll decide if it’s worth negotiating over.”

Olivia’s eyes sparkled. “You know as well as I do that that’s not how this works, Elijah. I need the reduced sentence on paper first. Then you’ll get the information.”

Frustrated, I took two quick strides toward her. “Or I could just unmark you right now,” I growled. “End this once and for all.”

For months, that threat had been my trump card. The mate mark on my neck gave me the power to end her life if I chose to. All I had to do was concentrate on breaking the bond, and she would die.

Agnes had begged me not to, insisting that we find another way, but right now, with Olivia playing games and knowing that marking Agnes would help control her abilities, the temptation was stronger than ever.

But to my surprise, Olivia didn’t even flinch. She just looked up at me with calm eyes.

“You won’t,” she said simply. “You’ve had plenty of opportunities to do that, and you never have. You’re too decent, too honorable to kill someone in cold blood, even me.” A small, knowing smile touched her lips. “Besides, your darling Agnes would never forgive you. Especially if she finds out I died with important information that will help both of you.”

I stepped back, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. She was right, damn her. I wouldn’t do it, no matter how much I might want to in moments like this. Not even so much for the alleged information as much as for Agnes’s sake. And Thea’s, because at the end of the day, I didn’t want her to have a dead mother.

“Whatever information you think you have—” I began.

“Those bones they found in the cave,” she cut me off, “are you sure they belong to Agnes’s daughter?”

The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet. I didn’t even know how she’d found that out, but right now, I didn’t care. “What are you talking about? The DNA test matched Agnes’s.”

“Did it?” Olivia asked, raising one eyebrow. “Or did someone tell you it matched?” When I didn’t answer, she went on, “Reduce my sentence and you’ll find out for certain, Elijah. I’m serious.”

I blinked at her, my mind racing. This could all be an elaborate lie. Olivia was a master manipulator, and she’d do anything to get a reduced sentence. But what if she was telling the truth? What if those bones didn’t belong to Isabella? What if…

No. I wouldn’t let myself go down that road, not until I had more information.

“How do I know you’re not making this up?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“You don’t,” she admitted with another shrug. “But consider this: what would I gain by lying about something so easily disproven? If I give you false information, you could simply reinstate my original sentence. Hell, you could even increase my sentence for obstructing justice. I have everything to lose and nothing to gain by lying about this.”

Again, she had a point, as much as I hated to admit it. And the possibility of what she might reveal—if it was true—was too important to dismiss.

“Fine,” I huffed, turning on my heel. “I’ll handle it. Wait here.”

Olivia snorted and threw her arms out wide. “Not like I’ve got much of a choice, darling.”

Hours later, I stormed back into the cell and thrust the completed paperwork into her face. Agnes might kill me when she found out what I’d done, but I hoped whatever information Olivia allegedly had would make it worth it. And like Olivia had said, I could just go back on my word if she gave me false information.

“You’ve got your deal,” I said, showing her the papers. “Reduced sentence with a chance of parole. Now talk.”

Olivia reached for the documents, but I held them just out of reach. “Information first.”

She sighed dramatically. “Fine.” She patted the spot next to her on the cot. I hesitated, but ultimately sat down, although I made sure to keep a healthy distance between us.

“Now,” she said, rubbing her temples and shutting her eyes, “bear with me. This is going to be a long story.”