The lost heiress never forgiven

The Lost Heiress 14

When the Flame of Love Fades

Chapter 14 The Past

They had planned to go straight to the warden, but he wasn’t there.

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Finished

Bradley called Cameron for more details, then arranged for a prison guard to meet them.

The guard had been bribed before, and just by looking at the Xander brothers‘ clothes, he knew they weren’t ordinary visitors. Even if he didn’t follow celebrity news, he recognized Sean.

“We want to know how Sierra spent her three years here,” Bradley said.

“Sierra?” The guard shook his head. “We go by inmate numbers here. Do you know hers?”

The Xander brothers‘ expressions darkened.

For the first time, they had to face the reality of what prison actually meant.

Sierra had been gone for three years, but they had treated it like she was on some extended break, assuming she would just come back one day as if nothing had happened.

“Yes, we know,” Bradley muttered.

As her legal guardian, he had access to her records. Cameron had looked it up earlier. He recited the number, “00061.”

“00061?” The guard’s eyes widened slightly, his expression turning a little odd. He cleared his throat. “What’s your relationship with her?”

“We’re her brothers,” Evan answered. “We just want to know how she lived here.”

The guard hesitated, then gave a vague response.

“Same as everyone else. Wake up, eat, exercise, work, lunch break, work again, dinner, watch the news, free time, lights out.”

His eyes darted away as he spoke, his smile forced.

“Liar,” Evan said flatly.

He wasn’t a fool.

“She was hospitalized multiple times, and each incident was worse than the last. Don’t tell us those were just accidents.”

The guard pressed his lips together, silent for a moment, then sighed. “It’s over now. What’s the point of digging it up?”

“What the hell does that mean?” Sean snapped. “We’re her family. Of course we should ask!”

The guard scoffed.

“Family? In three years, not a single person came to visit her.”

“Even death row inmates have visitors. She had no one. During the holidays, she was the only one without gifts or food from her family.”

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Chapter 14 The Past

“So tell me, what kind of brothers are you, showing up now?”

Each word was like a knife to the gut.

Bradley, Evan, and Sean felt the weight of their silence.

Their guilt.

Bradley took a deep breath and pulled out a card, slipping it into the guard’s hand.

cause trouble.

rubbing his thumb

Bradley pressed on.

word–no one will know you

That was enough.

exhaled and

inmates always get bullied. Her cellmates were two of the worst ones

her, everyone assumed

how she

grip on his cigarette

burned in his

They dared?

dared to touch

was his sister. Their

they had treated her

He wanted to explode.

words echoed

It was their fault.

They had disowned her.

could die and it

hadn’t visited her once

silence settled over

lit his cigarette and exhaled

Finished

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Chapter 14 The Past

me names,” he said

who had laid a hand on

the point?

hell it doesn’t matter!” Sean snapped. “Answer the damn question before I make you regret

The guard’s face tensed.

tension, smoothly placed another card into his

the

Finished

was just the beginning. They used to lock her in the bathroom. That fire you mentioned? She was locked in her cell when

was permanently damaged from the

everything else? The humiliation, the

spoke, the darker the Xander brothers‘ faces

to intervene when we could,” the guard added

are separate. Most of this happened in

hadn’t become such a notorious inmate, he wouldn’t have known much

what about the snakes and insects?” Evan suddenly

face instantly

His expression went stiff.

he shoved the card back into

don’t know what you’re talking

even met

them could stop him,

“He’s lying,” Evan muttered.

Bradley clenched his jaw.

Something wasn’t right.

guard had been talking just fine–until Evan mentioned

Then, he had panicked.

Why?

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Chapter 14 The Past

Finished

Right now, I want every single person

pulled out his

ended, he

our sister. No one outside the

and Sean both