ELENA'S POINT OF VIEW
I stumbled down the hallway, my vision blurred by tears I couldn't stop. My legs felt weak, unsteady, like they might give out at any moment. The walls seemed to close in around me, the elegant artwork and expensive fixtures blurring into meaningless shapes.
I couldn't breathe properly. Every breath came shallow and sharp, catching in my throat.
My mother's words kept echoing in my head, over and over like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.
Nathan's father.
My father.
The man I'd hated my entire life for abandoning us was the man who'd violated my mother. And Nathan... Nathan was my brother. My stepbrother.
A sob tore from my throat, and I pressed my hand against my mouth, trying to hold it in. But it was useless. Everything was spilling out of me, all the pain and horror and grief I'd been trying to contain.
I turned a corner and saw him.
Alex.
