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“Hugo” My mother places a hand on his chest “She’s still our child”

He swats her hand away “I don’t care She needs to hear this”

“Hear what?” I look at both of them, but neither of them seems to want to answer me When I turnon?

“I didn’t mean for it to happen I—”

“Jill We know the truth,” my father interjects “You can’t talk your way out of this one”

“What?” I’hly confused now “Who told you?”

Footsteps are audible outside my room, and we all turn to look up when someone appears in the doorway

But the dark eyes that connect with mine send a chill down my spine

Luca

His brown hair falls over his face like a curtain to hide the spite, and it et my parents are even here

Of course it was him

Of course he told the that happened

“Luca,” ”

“I’this blanket over my head and pretend I don’t exist

“Of course,”in a lukewarm smile “Your parents, are they here too?”

More footsteps are audible, the click-clacking sound sending my heartbeat into overdrive And the second they show their faces, I feel like I ht as well prepare my own burial

Silence fills the room as they look at me first and then my parents

“Baas,” his father says

“De Vos,” mine responds

The air is filled with electricity Not the e kind, but the kind that predicts war

“So … Jill is alive,” Lex sneers in an unimpressed manner

As my father flicks his eyes at Jasmine, she steps away from my bed in obedience

“We’re very lucky,” hten the mood

“You call that luck?” Lex retorts

I frown, feeling terribly confused as I look at bothup with fists balled like they’re ready to fight “What’s happened? What’s going on?” I ask “And where’s Liam?”

“Haven’t you heard?” Luca says, his lip curling down viciously “Liam is dead”

My heart stops right there and then

Oh God

Liam

Liam is … dead?

No, it can’t be

“No,” I say, shaking ht there”

“Where you left him, in the water, trapped in his seat,” Luca says

Anne approaches me and stares me down

SLAP!

The sting of her hand on ister

My rabs her wrist

“Don’t you touch hter”