The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 548

Citrine seemed deeply resistant-after what I said, her face turned ashen. She wanted nothing more than to draw a clear line between herself and our family.

As Monica spoke, Hilda's expression grew darker, her mood visibly shaken.

"You shouldn't have said those things to her," Hilda said, voice tight.

Monica looked confused, as did the rest of the Saunders family.

Hilda paused for a moment, then explained, her tone softer but heavy with meaning. "Citrine can't empathize with me—or maybe she just refuses to. That child's life has been far harsher than mine. Her heart is heavier, her pain deeper. To ask someone who's already been through so much to share another person's grief... it's just too cruel."

Monica and Wade immediately recalled the words they'd spoken to Citrine that day. Both went pale as ghosts.

Hilda knew it wasn't entirely their fault. After a moment's silence, she decided to share what Raymond had confided in her.

"You all know by now that Citrine never had it easy living with the Iversons. But what you probably don't know is that when she was just eleven, they sent her away to Mirage Cay."

"What? Mirage Cay?" Herschel's eyes widened in shock. He slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet.

knew about Mirage Cay. Even the elite

elders had traveled to Magnolia for business. During that trip, one of the elders

nights, Herschel and the others were on edge, calling in every favor, exhausting every connection.

eighth day, the missing

But not whole.

back in

when they spotted the

him alive. They

inside made grown men scream. Some collapsed onto the floor;

person inside, not

they covered their mouths and noses, forcing themselves to look

they saw the familiar round head,

when someone noticed a card tucked inside

clue from the perpetrators. They slid it into a laptop, hands

they found made them wish they'd never looked, but they forced themselves to

was a series of