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A tide of emotion threatens to batter down my composure, but I inhale sharply, force my breathing to even out, and then nod toward Raymond, encouraging him to continue.
“Your mother and father were already dating by then. Hell, they were even engaged. But everything changed when they met Aria.”
Vomit seethes in my stomach, and I place a palm over my lower belly to quell the rising nausea. “Did my dad cheat on my mom with this…Aria chick?” I ask roughly.
Raymond shakes his head. “Please. Let me finish before you ask any questions.”
My heartbeat speeds up, tripping hastily over itself, but I force myself to remain still and allow Raymond to finish his story.
It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
“Aria was the daughter of The Divine One at that time. She was energetic, charismatic, and spunky. Your parents fell in love with her instantly, and their relationship of two became a relationship of three.”
Icy water drips down my spine.
My parents…were in a poly relationship with another woman? How have I never heard of this? Why have I never heard of this?
“Aria was being trained to take over for The Divine One, and the more power she accumulated, the more…engrossed in the cult’s teachings she became. Your parents went along with it, mainly because they loved her and wanted to make her happy, but your mother, in particular, began to have second thoughts.
“When Aria got pregnant with Fischer, they were all ecstatic—but for completely different reasons. Your mother thought they finally had an excuse to leave the cult once and for all. After all, what parent would want to bring their children into a world like that?
“But Aria disagreed. She saw Fischer as being her heir, her legacy…the next in line to become The Divine One.”
The sharp crack of a whip propels through my chest.
Fischer will become the new Divine One?
I feel as if I’m standing on the surface of an icy lake that’s crackling and shattering beneath my feet. Any second, it will drop out from underneath me, and I’ll plummet into the icy depths below.
“What did Ellie’s parents do?” Ryker growls, his hand tightening in mine.
“They argued, of course, but they were stupid and in love.” A sad look paves its way across his rugged face. “I tried to warn them…” He shakes his head, seemingly to break himself free of his daze, and continues his story. “They stayed with her, but things were tense. Aria was gone for long periods of time to work on POP issues. It was around that time that Aria asked your father to develop a website—a website that he also made into an app a year or two later.” He gives me a pointed look, leaving no doubt in my mind which one he’s referring to.
Luminescent—Find Your Match.
“And he did it?” Landon sounds disgusted.
Raymond’s eyes sharpen and home in on the other man. “Now, my brother was a lot of things, but a killer wasn’t one of them. If he would’ve known what Aria intended to use it for…” He shakes his head sadly. “He was blindsided when the truth was revealed. For all his faults, my brother’s only crime was believing in a fake relationship and loving a psychopathic woman.”
Landon looks as if he wants to argue, but one glance in my direction has his lips pressing together.
“And then what happened?” I whisper around dry lips.
“And then you were born.” Raymond absently picks at a thread sprouting from his jeans, the movement almost mechanical. “That was the turning point for your parents. They gave Aria an ultimatum—POP or their kids. I think you can guess which option she chose.”
I can’t seem to wrap my head around this. It feels as if I’m getting pelted repeatedly in the face by snowballs, but these snowballs are constructed entirely out of ice. I can’t escape the constant barrage of pain.
“She didn’t want us,” I whisper numbly.
Raymond’s face creases with sympathy. “Trust me, kid. You’re better off without her in your life.”
“Obviously, she changed her mind, if what you said about The Divine One killing Ellie’s parents is true,” Beckett interjects, biting down on his nail.
“I don’t know exactly what happened then, but I got a call from your father a few days before the accident.” Raymond focuses only on me, leaning forward to place his elbows on his knees. “He said that Aria got in contact with him and demanded she be able to see you and Fischer. Your parents refused. They actually planned to take you out of Oak Grove that very day.”
“They planned to move us?” I ask incredulously.
“I had a safe house for you guys to stay at. Your parents were on their way home from the store—they had to pick up supplies—when their car was rammed off the road by a truck. No one ever caught the driver, but then again, no one was looking.”
