I hated her honesty because it left me with no simple way to label her as evil without also seeing her pain.
“And the security, what is all of that for,” I demanded, trying to regain some control over the chaos in my mind.
“It is for protection against Richard,” she answered, her expression tense. “If he discovers who you are, he will try to use you.”
The realization hit me like a physical blow, because it meant that without knowing I had stepped into a dangerous situation that had been building for decades.
“And the woman who raised me, what about her,” I asked, my voice barely steady.
“She knew everything,” Eleanor replied quietly.
That answer felt like the ground had disappeared beneath my feet entirely.
I could not handle any more, so I grabbed my jacket, left the keys and the envelope behind, and walked out of that room as if the walls themselves were closing in around me.
