Page 291 of Bad Prince
He nods once.
“That’s good.”
A pause.
Then—
“They will still find you.”
That lands heavier.
We sit.
And even here—people are watching.
Trying not to.
But failing.
“They will also look into your mother,” he says, quieter now.
My fork pauses mid-air.
“What?”
“I’ve already had someone placed near her.”
My head snaps up.
“You what?”
“To protect her.”
My pulse spikes.
“She doesn’t need protection?—”
“She does now,” he says calmly.
Not arguing.
Stating.
I exhale sharply.
“She’s been through enough,” I mutter. “I don’t want this messing with her life.”
“It already has,” he says.
And I hate that he’s right.
“Do you have a step-father in the home?” he asks.
I shake my head.
“No. My stepdad… he left a while ago and then he died.”
A flicker in his expression.
