Alina stared at her father in disbelief. His voice echoed in the room. It was probably the loudest sound he had made in months, and he had used it to deny her happiness.
"What?"
"His father was involved with the network," he said, gripping the armrests. "The Moore family funded Serilda for years. You can't marry into that."
"Austin is not his father."
"It doesn't matter. His bloodline carries…"
"Bloodlines don't determine if people are good or bad. It's choices that do," Alina cut him off.
"You don't understand what these people can do."
"I do understand," she said, her voice steady. "And honestly, I know more than you. I lived among them."
"And what happened when you went to Arcasedia? They literally tried to kill you."
Alina snickered.
"What does that have to do with Austin?" Alina asked. "Everything that happened there was because of the network your silence helped protect."
The words hit him hard. His face crumpled.
"I was…I just wanted to keep you safe."
