AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Phoebe gurgles, and Topher relaxes at my back as he peers over my shoulder at her.
“She’s beautiful,” he murmurs, trailing his finger down her face. He kisses my cheek, before moving away from me. “Morgan is called… Emily in your world?”
I nod, turning with Phoebe in my arms to see Topher properly. “She avoids the media, always has. I never understood it, but she claimed that all she wanted with her life was to do charity and to give back to those who need it, to those who can’t defend themselves, and that she doesn’t need to be in the spotlight for that to be the case.
“Since taking over Howling Hope once my parents died, she hired a brand new PR team who took over that sphere of the foundation, and she just runs the place. She’s been in charge since my parents died, and she’s done such amazing things for the foundation.”
“So that would have been since around your eighteenth birthday, right?” he asks, and I nod. “So six years ago.”
“Yes.”
He nods slowly. I move over to the bed as Phoebe starts to get a little restless and sit down against the pillows. He sits on the edge of the bed, on the opposite corner, and there’s a deeply reflective expression on his face.
“I’m curious as to what happened in those four years, then.” He eyes me nervously, but I beat him to it.
“My parents, or at the very least, my mum, clearly knew something. The simplest explanation is oftentimes the most accurate one. She was involved in at least part of Morgan’s fake death. I don’t know how. I don’t know what she did. But she knew.”
“It seems that way.”
I sigh, looking up at the ceiling, breathing slowly and deeply to try and regulate myself. Alex and Ben are still huge messes downstairs, and I can’t let myself lose it and make it harder for them.
“I wish I knew how deep this all went.”
“Me too, princess, me too.” He rubs the back of his neck before jolting. His head snaps over to me, his eyes wide. “And you asked for Morgan’s help for the start-up funds for Ryan’s company?”
I flinch but nod. “I wasn’t hiding that. I was going to say it to your parents, but Seb said not to, and then it felt more appropriate to tell you about her being alive than that. But, yes, Em was very excited about the potential ideas for the foundation, and she…” I trail off, my eyes widening. “No. She refused to meet with him at first. I mentioned his products and his ideas, and she was very interested.
“But then I showed her a photo, and she shut it down. She was scared and refused.”
“What changed?”
“I don’t remember. She called me up and asked for me to get in touch with them. I liaised with Ryan to make it happen. All I did was intro…re-introduce them.”
I gasp, tears filling my eyes. “I… I could’ve ruined her life.” She faked her death to get away from her family, and there I went, bringing Ryan back into her life.
“Maybe,” he says softly. “But she took that step herself. You didn’t do anything wrong, Maia, you didn’t. Morgan was always brave and headstrong and far too forgiving for her own good.”
I’m exhausted. My head hurts, and I just need a break.
“What do we do now?” My words are a whisper, and he sighs.
“Losing Morgan destroyed our family,” he says. “And if she’s still alive… things are going to get worse before they get better. Alex is betrayed, Ben’s desperate for it to be the case, and Seb’s so closed off I have no idea how he feels.”
“How do you feel?” I ask.
He grins at me, and it takes my breath away, even if it’s full of sadness. “I feel like I might finally be able to heal from the past and forge a stronger way forward.”
I nod slowly, warmth filling me at his declaration. “As lovely as that is, that doesn’t answer my question.”
“I’m always the one with the answers, but I don’t have any right now.” He gives me a tight smile and gestures with his head towards Phoebe. I see that she’s fallen asleep as we’ve been talking.
I lower her back into her crib, and she doesn’t even stir.
“I’m going to go talk with my brothers,” Topher says. “Do you… could you stay up here? I think it’s going to be messy, and I…”
“I understand.” I walk back over to where he’s standing, coming to a stop right in front of him. He looks down at me, and I smile. “I’m your mate, but you still have history that I’m learning about, a life before me that you’re coming to terms with. I’m not upset that you guys need time together to process, not with something like this.”
He nods, the relief flashing across his face. “I love you.”
