Chapter 42

Violet

As we sat around the dinner table, I tried my hardest to disappear into the chair. Sitting here felt like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from, and all I wanted was to get away.

If I glanced to my left, there was Kylan’s brother, Kayden, grinning at as if he knew everything about me—if I looked straight ahead, there was Kylan, glaring at me as if I had ruined his day.

To the right was even worse. There was Chrystal, shooting me death stares. If those stares could kill, I’d be dead a hundred times over by now.

With nowhere to look, I settled for Nate, who sat beside his sister. He shot me a small, reassuring smile followed by a wink.

At the head of the table sat the king, who looked around with a smirk. “It’s nice to have everyone here,” his voice dominated the table. His energy was dark and intimidating, it almost felt like he was sucking all the air out of the room.

Clarence and Dad mumbled something in response, clearly not really feeling this so-called gathering.

Family day w