“But they took my Lily,” he choked. “They hurt her. They carved her up like she was meat and disintegrated her into nothing. All that remained was that blasted necklace.”
My eyes widened as his words landed, impossible to grasp.
The world tilted and I swayed on my feet, but Lykos was right there next to me, offering support.
“Why?” I breathed, reeling from the shock. “Why do you hate me so much? Why?”
He didn’t answer.
“The Obsidian Society. Tell me about it,” Lykos demanded, stepping closer. Father shrugged, his eyes darting to the necklace around my neck. Lykos followed his gaze. “The symbol… It’s theirs, isn’t it?”
“Maybe. But you’ll never get close to them.”
“Give me a name,” Lykos hissed. “Because I sure as shit know you’re not the head of that organization.” Father chuckled, blood dripping down the corner of his mouth.
Lykos hit him, sending his head flying to the left. “I won’t ask again, Dick. I want the name.”
“There is no name,” Father croaked.
“Bullshit,” Lykos spat.
“Believe what you will,” Father mumbled. “I have no name to give you.”
“Why would you even be associated with something like that?” I asked, struggling to wrap my head around everything I was hearing. “Why?”
“It came with the territory. After all,yourancestors started it.”
Shock rolled through me and my eyes flew to Lykos to find him just as surprised by Father’s statement.
“Does Mom know about it?” I questioned.
He scoffed. “That dumb bitch.”
“Why?” I sneered. “Because she finally left you? She should have done that a long time ago.”
His lips curled and his eyes filled with rage.
“You can’t be mine,” Father muttered, his gaze turning wild. “You’re not mine.”
“You… you’re not my father?” Jesus Christ, how many more surprises would come my way today?
He scoffed, the sound brittle with contempt.
“Your mother swore you were mine,” he said, dragging out each word like it tasted foul. “Even waved a paternity test in my face.” His eyes darkened. “But when your family holds that much power, truth becomes negotiable. Results become whatever you want them to be.” His lip curled. “Your grandfather made sure of that.”
The accusation hung in the air, thick and suffocating.
“He’s lying. Or he’s too far gone to know the difference,” Lykos cut in, his voice low but edged with steel. He stepped forward, placing himself between us, his body a shield. “I’ve seenthe results. The real ones. He’s your biological father.” His jaw tightened, muscles twitching. “But he sure as hell never deserved you.”
My chest twisted—anger, pain, and regret tangling through my soul. Maybe it would be better if he wasn’t my father.
“She doesn’t deserve me or that money her grandfather left her,” my father sneered, blood speckling his lips as he laughed under his breath. “You and that creature you’ve bred…” His gaze flicked toward Aria with open revulsion. “You are the devil’s spawns.” His eyes snapped back to me, sharp and merciless. “Bastards. Every last one of you.”
Before I could say anything, a gunshot split the air, deafening me.
For a heartbeat, the world froze.
Then my father’s body jerked. His head dipped forward, chin hitting his chest as if in some grotesque bow. The life drained out of him in an instant, leaving behind nothing but slack flesh and silence.
