Chapter 16: The Letter My Father Left Behind

I slowly opened the sealed box.

Inside was a folded letter, a silver key, and a small black stone engraved with the Wren family crest.

My hands trembled as I picked up the letter.

The handwriting belonged to Elias Wren.

I unfolded the first page.

"To my daughter, Evelyn."

My eyes blurred instantly.

He had written my name.

My father had known that one day I would read those words.

I forced myself to continue.

"If you are reading this, then I failed to protect you."

"Your mother will tell you that I died of an illness. That is not true."

"I was poisoned because I refused to surrender the Wren inheritance to the Calder family."

My breath caught.

Kane stood several feet away, reading over my shoulder.

I continued.

"The person who helped them was someone I trusted."

"I discovered that the registry had been altered, and before I could expose them, they came for me."

"I sent your mother away with you because you were the only thing they could use against me."

Tears slipped down my cheeks.

"I wanted you to grow up knowing that you were loved, even if you never knew my name."

"One day, when you are old enough, return to Greenridge and claim what belongs to you."

"But never surrender your freedom for a title."

"A Luna's crown is worthless if she has to beg someone to love her."

I stopped reading.

Those words struck deeper than anything else in the letter.

My father had somehow understood the life I would eventually live.

Kane's breathing grew uneven behind me.

"Evelyn, I didn't know."

I folded the letter.

"You keep saying that."

He lowered his head.

"I should have believed you."

"Yes."

I placed the letter back inside the box.

Then I picked up the silver key.

There was a number engraved on it.

"What does this open?" Kane asked.

I looked at Mara.

She examined the key carefully.

"The old Wren estate has a private vault."

"It hasn't been opened since Elias died."

My heart began beating faster.

The black stone in the box suddenly warmed against my palm.

A faint mark appeared across its surface.

Mara's eyes widened.

"That's not a family crest."

"What is it?" I asked.

She stared at the symbol.

"It's the seal of the Wren succession vault."

Kane stepped closer.

"Then we should open it."

I shook my head.

"I'm going alone."

He looked hurt.

"Evelyn, this could be dangerous."

"So was trusting you."

He went silent.

I slipped the key into my pocket.

Before leaving, I looked once more at my father's letter.

For seventeen years, I had believed I had no family.

Now I knew I had one.

And somewhere inside that old vault was the truth my father had died protecting.

I walked toward the door.

This time, I wasn't running away from Greenridge.

I was going to uncover everything it had taken from me.