To say that Emerson is angry would be the understatement of my life. He isn't just mad. He isn't just angry. He isn't even just livid. He had surpassed all of those levels of fury into something entirely different. Whatever comes after livid, that’s where he is now. Somewhere past reason. Past restraint. His body shaking as if his fury might tear him apart from the inside out. I don’t even feel the tears anymore. They dried up somewhere between the first journal entry and the last. My whole life—every second of it—was a lie. Stolen and sold by Nolan Ward. Declan, Chloe, Rowan, Fiona, and my parents all fill the room in tense silence as we wait. Elder Hardwick finally enters, stepping into this nest of rage, confusion, and betrayal. He looks at Emerson first then at me.
“What is going on?”
