Chapter 90

Eva

“No,” I said. It was the only word that I could even think about uttering.

“It’s the truth,” she insisted. “I had to run away from Kolton to hide away here. I was afraid of him and afraid of what he could’ve done to you. I didn’t want him to ruin you the way he did his daughter, Leonora. She’s a terrible person. And you, Eva, were always meant to be good.”

“You’re my mother,” I said even though I couldn’t quite believe it. It wasn’t a question. Right now, I wasn’t even sure of what I felt about this.

Maybe my senses would return to me slowly.

“I knew the Convent would be your best shot at freedom,” she told me. “I knew they wouldn’t mistreat you. It wouldn’t be like abandoning you in front of someone’s door and letting them treat you as they wished. No, in a convent, there would be religion. You’d be treated fairly. It was also the last place he’d look. Meanwhile, I stayed here, where it wasn’t that far away. I changed my identity and worked for the Daxen family. If Kolton ever