JULIAN
The "Black File" felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, even after Kiera had taken it back. Every line I had read—the "unfit" labels, the burned birthday gifts, the forced exile—was replaying on a loop behind my eyes, each repetition stoking the fire.
I wanted to find him. Right now. I wanted to drive back to that mansion, drag Richard out of his bed, and show him exactly what a "menace to well-being" looked like.
"You better not." Kiera's voice was sharp, cutting through the red haze. "Control it. If you walk into that house looking like you want to commit murder, you've already lost. Richard is a predator; he smells intent before you even open your mouth."
I snorted, a harsh, jagged sound. My hands were still shaking, so I shoved them deep into my pockets. "You expect me to go back there and act like I didn't just find out he's spent fifteen years erasing my mother from existence?"
