Chapter 45

RHIANNON

I felt my blood run cold. I could hear my father’s voice in the background—distant screaming. It felt vague, unreal. The gunshots—I heard them once again.

I suddenly heard a chime in my head, a loud ringing bell tingling the corners of my brain. It felt unreal, the room spun, my body froze, and my mind wandered over what I had just seen.

“He was killed,” I mumbled under my breath, breathing heavily. It had become clearer—after all these years, it had taken this long for me to realize the truth. The dainty moving pocket watch, the strings tied to it, the woman speaking in a subtle tone, her face blurry… but now I recalled it. That hurtful memory that haunted me—the truth.

“Huh?” Charles asked. I couldn’t tell if he was feigning ignorance, so I repeated it.

“You were the one who killed my father… you bastard!” I yelled. My throat was sore, my body weak. I hadn’t eaten or drunk water—all I had were punches and slaps from different men. My m