Meadow’s POV:

My heart stopped beating.

I must not have heard that correctly. There was no way… no fucking way what Nn just said was the

truth.

Forcing my legs to move forward and into the light, my brows drew together.

“ric, what… what is he saying?”

I wanted him to deny it. To at least tell me that Nn didn’t know what he was saying. But the

expression on ric’s face told me that I wasn’t going to get anything of that sort from him. Or anything

at all, to be honest.

My gaze dropped to his bleeding lip. If this were any other situation, I would rush over to him so I could

look at the wound. But this wasn’t any other situation.

I just overheard my brother–inw say that my father was responsible for their father’s death.

But that wasn’t possible.

It couldn’t be possible. ric said his father died twenty years ago. My father went to prison thirteen

years ago.

Yes, he was imprisoned on the grounds of manughter and embezzlement, but he didn’t…

No.

No, he didn’t. Not ric’s father.

My gaze shifted to Nn, who was ring at me like I hadmitted the worst sin on this earth.

“What are you saying, Nn?” I asked him, since ric refused to say anything to me. My voice came out shaky, and when I clenched my fists, I could feel them shaking too.

Nn scoffed, his nostrils ring. “As if you don’t fucking know.”

I jerked back like he had pped me, because honestly, that was how his words had made me feel.

“Know what?” I breathed, looking from Nn to ric and back to Nn. “Nn, what the hell are you talking about? My father was jailed when I was ten years old. How does it make any…” I trailed off, confused.

For a moment, Nn just watched me with a narrowed gaze, and then his eyes widened slowly, like he was just realizing something. “Heilige Schei?e….” ‘Holy fucking shit.‘ “You have no damn idea, do you?”

“About what?” I gritted out impatiently, although the tone of my voice had nothing to do with the way I was feeling inside–like my heart was being yanked out of my chest.

Nn opened his mouth to speak again but ric’s voice cut in. “Nn,” he warned, voice deep and low.

My already wide, blurry eyes shot to his, and although ric’s jaw ticked, his eyes held something a little heavier. More painful. More heart–shattering.

Guilt.

But it was gone before I could even blink.

Keeping my eyes on ric’s, I lifted my chin and parted my lips. “Nn, tell me.”

“Meadow, we can talk about this at the penthou-”

“Fine,” Nn cut in coldly. “You want to know what I’m talking about? I’ll tell you. And then I’m going to leave you both here to deal with your bullshit because whatever this is? Whatever the hell’s about to happen here?” He gestured between ric and I. “I want no fucking part of it.”

“Nn,” ric growled, starting to lunge for him. If Nn had seen himing, it would have been easier for him to dodge. But ric was too fast, and it happened all of a sudden.

He reared his arm back and punched his brother so hard I heard his jaw bone crack. “ric!” I screamed

just as Nn grunted in pain.

“Fuck!” he cursed, doubling over.

ric grabbed him by his shirt and made a move to hit him again, but before he could, I spoke up. “Hit

him again and I’m leaving you.”

My voice was barely above a whisper, and I didn’t think before speaking. But at least it worked. ric frozeb, /bhis entire body tensing up, fist halfway to Nn’s face.

“What?”

My throat thickened, making it difficult for me to swallow. One of ric’s biggest fears was me leaving

him. He said so himself.

Something shed in ric’s eyesb. /b

“You can’t feel pain, ric,” I bit out. “But your brother can. And you just broke his jaw.”

Letting out a shaky exhale, I continued. “Let him go, ric. Let him go and talk to me.”

My eyes welled with unshed tears and I stepped closer, feeling a shiver rack my entire body and my legs

go weak. “Let him go and tell me that what he said isn’t true. That my father didn’t…”

I didn’t finish that sentence. I couldn’t bring myself to.

ric’s nostrils red, but he let his brother go. Nn let out a dark chuckle, running a hand through his hair before he spat out blood. “Well, fuck,” he breathed. “That must be the hardest punch you’ve ever thrown at me, Ric.” He tilted his head at me. “Though not as hard as exining to your wife how you’ve been ying her this entire time is going to feel like to her.”

A gasp escaped my throat.

There was so much I didn’t know. So much I couldn’t even begin to understand. But one thing was sure-

ric knew who I was. He knew who my father was, who my family was. Including rissa.

I was stupid.

I was so stupid.

My head spun as panic began to build so quickly in my chest. I tried to regte my breathing before I’d

get a panic attack I wouldn’t know how to control.

“To put it inlyb,/bb” /bNn continued. “Yes, Meadow. Your father did kill ours. Last night, I was feeling a bit

b… /bnostalgic, you know? Our father died twenty years ago and I felt like checking in on the man who was convicted for killing him.” He chuckled again.

“I never much cared before, but sometimes, all alcohol does is make you fucking care. For some reason, I wanted to do a check on the bastard, you know? See if he had any family. I wanted to see if they were doing better than we were. Or worse.” He scoffed. “I can’t believe I was only one inte search away from knowing your fucking roots, Meadow Russell.”

His jaw clenched and he sneered at me. I shook my head, feeling the heart that had already been yanked out being wrung so painfully. “Nn, I didn’t know. I–I swear, I didn’t know my father was responsible for

“Well,” He shrugged. “Now you know. And I bet now you also know that my brother is the most strategic

person I have ever known, and you, my dear sister–inw, have been fooled into thinking all he wants is to feel you.”

I turned to face ric, my heart pounding hard against my ribcage. ric ran a hand through his hair–it was the first time I was ever seeing himpletely stunned and speechless, without any idea, any excuse to give. Anything at all to say.

The first tear slipped from my eye, and even though my gaze was on ric’s, I could see Nn retreat to his car, but not before muttering a “Good luck, bro.”

For a long moment after his car sped off, ric and I just stared at each other. My throat was thick. Too

thick.

He stepped toward me slowly, and with every step he took forward, I took one back. My breathing was shallow, my body shaking. And it wasn’t long before my back was pressed against the car.

“Meadowb…/b”

“Stay back,” I breathed when he was a few feet away. “Stay away from me, ric.”

“Meadow, please, just hear me out.”

“I will,” I bit out, heaving a breath. “I will hear you out, ric. I’ll do anything you want, listen to what you

want to tell me, but I want to do that from a distance.” My bottom lip quivered. “I don’t want youing

close to me. I don’t want you… I don’t want you touching me.”