Ella’s POV
This place is a living nightmare! Days locked in this filthy hellhole with these wretched won. Not quite as bad as that pigsty of a dungeon, but still terrible. They transferred here the day after my arrest and, to make everything worse, stuck in the sa cell as that insufferable Linda. I fantasize about clawing her eyes out hourly.
"Hey, rich girl! Visitor for you. A lawyer! Want to see them?" The guard shouted through the bars, her voice as crude as her manners.
"Finally! Daddy sent soone to get out of here!" I clapped my hands and jumped up, excitent coursing through .
The guard barked at to turn around, then slapped cold sliver handcuffs on my wrists before unlocking the cell. As she secured the door behind us, Linda climbed down from her bunk.
"Tell your lawyer to get your daddy to bail out too, princess," she called. "Otherwise, I might start singing so interesting songs about his business dealings."
"Are you threatening my father? Have you forgotten who he is?" I glared at her, hoping to shut her up.
"He’s the one forgetting what I know." Linda pressed her face between the bars. "And trust , if he leaves here, I’ll pluck every pretty feather from your painted wings before I’m done!"
The guard shoved down the hallway, cutting off my retort. After a humiliating strip search that felt more like a gynecological exam, we arrived at a visitation area with booth-like spaces, each containing a stool and telephone. The guard secured my cuffs to the front and pointed toward the last booth.
I nearly stumbled when I saw who waited on the other side of the glass. He gestured for to sit and pick up the phone.
"What are you doing here? I was told my visitor was a lawyer," I said, confused and irritated.
"If you’ve forgotten, Ella, I am a lawyer," Bruno replied calmly.
"Why are you here?" My patience was already threadbare.
"To talk."
"About what?"
"First, I want to know what I ant to you," Bruno leaned closer to the glass. "Because I loved you deeply. We’ve been together since we were teenagers. Then suddenly, I discover you’re engaged to Draven and ’pregnant.’ I even thought the child might be mine, but you weren’t pregnant at all. So please, out of consideration for the affection I’ve always had for you, tell the truth. What did I an to you?"
"Bruno, you’re nice. It was fun being with you," I said honestly. "But you don’t compare to Draven. He’s a powerful Alpha with his own empire. And you’re just... you. Cute but boring, still working for daddy. It’s ti you moved on because as soon as I get out, I’m marrying Draven."
"My Goddess, you’re delusional!" Bruno laughed."Let update you on the world outside. That little boy you kidnapped? He’s Draven’s biological son. Apparently, Draven and Caroline t at a masquerade ball years ago. They didn’t know each other’s identities, and Caroline got pregnant. They only discovered the truth days before the kidnapping."
"What are you talking about?" I scread.
"They had sex at the party without knowing nas or seeing faces behind their masks," Bruno continued. "Caroline got pregnant and, by so twist of fate, ended up working for her baby’s father."
"That’s impossible," I whispered.
"But there’s more," Bruno’s expression turned smug. "Caroline is pregnant again with Draven’s child. Actually pregnant this ti!"
"You’re lying!" Tears of rage burned my eyes. "It’s all lies!"
"No, Ella, it’s true. The best part? Draven and Caroline got married and are moving into the pack house."
"I don’t believe you!" I scread uncontrollably. The guard burst into the room, threatening to throw in solitary if I didn’t calm down. I imdiately shut my mouth. The punishnt cell was another level of hell I couldn’t face again.
"I brought sothing for you," Bruno pressed a newspaper against the glass. There it was in black and white – photos of Caroline and Draven, her hand over her stomach, his arm around her waist. The headline trumpeted their wedding and impending new addition. When I finished reading, Bruno took the paper back.
"They’re very happy together," he said softly. "Alpha Draven deserves soone decent like Caroline. She’s wonderful."
"Shut up!" I hissed. "I don’t want to hear any more."
"Fair enough. I just needed to confirm what I ant to you. Thank you for your honesty. Now I can move on, knowing how truly unhinged you are, how little you’re worth."
"You’re weak, Bruno. A mama’s boy she still controls. I would never have seriously considered you."
"Again, thank you for the clarity." His voice turned cold. "I hope dungeon reforms you into sothing better than this."
As he prepared to leave, a thought occurred to . "Wait, Bruno. Since you’re so well-inford, have you heard from my parents? My father hasn’t sent any lawyers."
Bruno’s smile vanished. "You don’t know?"
"Know what?" Dread pooled in my stomach.
"Despite everything, I didn’t want to be the one to tell you this..." He hesitated, clearly uncomfortable.
"Just tell !"
"Your father is a fugitive, wanted for nurous cris including the murder of Alpha Draven’s parents."
"But that was an accident," I protested.
"The car was sabotaged. Your father also contacted rogues to orchestrate the attack. Your father bribed an investigator to conclude the investigation as an accident."
"What else are they accusing him of?"
"Kidnapping the boy, abducting Caroline..."
"My father kidnapped her?" This was news to .
"Yes. You didn’t know?"
"Obviously not!"
"Why did you get involved in this ss, Ella?"
"I just wanted to marry Draven," I admitted. "I wasn’t going to hurt the kid. I just needed leverage to make Draven marry , then I’d return him to his mother. Is there anything else?"
"You really don’t think..." Bruno sighed heavily. "Yes, there’s more. Your father is accused of massive fraud at Thorne Enterprises, using forged docunts, and... this will be hard to hear... he’s also charged with murdering your mother."
"WHAT?" I scread, jumping up and knocking over the chair.
The guard returned, and Bruno explained what he’d just told . She must have felt so pity because she simply righted the chair, told to control myself, and left again. I collapsed onto the seat, overwheld by pain, anger, and disbelief. I knew my father didn’t love my mother, but kill her? This was too much.
"Your mother’s body was found Tuesday in a shallow grave on a farm outside town," Bruno continued gently. "She was suffocated with a plastic bag. They found your father’s fingerprints on it. She’d been dead about three days when they found her."
"How could he do that to her?" Tears stread down my face.
Bruno pressed another newspaper against the glass. An entire page detailed my father’s cris, complete with photos of the cri scene where my mother was found. When I finished reading, Bruno removed the paper. I felt hollowed out, utterly alone.
"I’m sorry, Ella," Bruno’s voice softened. "I don’t think your father is coming to help you. Honestly, you brought this on yourself. I’m sorry it ended this way." He paused, studying my blank expression. "This is goodbye. After today, I’m removing you from my life completely. Good luck. I hope this experience changes you for the better."
I barely registered returning to my cell. I functioned on autopilot. Linda imdiately bombarded with questions, demanding details of my visit. I ignored her completely, lying on my bunk and turning to face the wall.
Everything I thought I knew had crumbled. My father, a murderer. My mother, dead by his hand. Draven, married to that bitch Caroline, with a son and another baby on the way. And ? Abandoned, alone, locked in a cell with no one coming to save .
I needed to think. I needed a plan. This couldn’t be how my story ended.
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