Evadne pressed her lips together, brows furrowing as she sank into a stifling, oppressive silence.

Elspeth was out of her mind, Chad tormented animals for sport, and then there was Chad's uncle-the Austin family heir-who had murdered his lover in a fashion so brutal it still echoed in whispers...

A chilling thought crept over her, making her blood run cold-

Could it be that everyone in the Austin family was, in some way, unhinged?

Was Chad's mother's mental illness something he inherited too? Was that what drove him to these extremes?

"Is Chad... truly unstable?"

Jason shook his head, stunned, as if the idea wouldn't fit. "But he never seemed off, not at all. He always looked perfectly composed, almost coldly so!"

"That's exactly what scares me most." Alva's voice was raw with worry, her eyes rimmed red. "What if he's just been pretending all these years, hiding his true nature so he could draw close to Mrs. Abernathy? What if he's planning something? What if he means to hurt you?"

no real proof he's suffering from any diagnosed mental disorder," Evadne said, forcing herself to steady her thoughts, her eyes

remembered something my

when the Austin's eldest son, Mason, was charged with murder. He was sentenced to

justice system is thorough-if Mason slipped through all those evaluations, it could only mean one thing: he was severely disturbed,

gaze, lashes casting shadows over her eyes. She

'the child is father to the man'-people rarely change at their core! After disappearing for twenty


compete with Master Thaddeus for the inheritance? He's unstable enough—what if

was real-Evadne's throat felt tight, as if invisible hands were squeezing the air from

at Alva,

the case, then I have even more reason not

stared at

by the rules, then I

Thaddeus harm, I won't stand

lifted her chin,

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