Chapter 17 #2
"So I'll definitely be there," I said, feeling a flutter of both excitement and dread in my stomach.
The possibility of answers warred with the fear of what I might discover.
"And maybe I can find out more about this Dexter Knotty person.
Maybe even find out if he's my father, or at least if he knows what happened to my mother.
" Luce's expression turned serious, the playfulness from earlier vanishing completely.
"Cade, just... be careful with how you approach this. The Alumni Dinner isn't just some casual reunion. It's a power play. The Trivium uses it to assess who's still loyal, who's rising, who's falling. And everybody will be watching your every move."
"When is it?" I asked, ignoring her warning. I couldn't think about politics right now, not when I was so close to answers about my past.
"Next week," Luce said. "My dad will be there too. So will I, so I can try to point out some of the nicer people to talk to."
"Is that where your dad met your mum? Or was your mum your dad's Consort, He was a Regent right?
" I asked, suddenly curious about Luce's background too.
We'd bonded over both growing up without mothers, but I realised I knew very little about what had happened to hers.
Luce shrugged, her expression shuttering slightly.
"I don't know, honestly. Dad never talks about her. Every time I've asked, he gets this look on his face like I've stabbed him, so I stopped asking years ago."
"I'm sorry," I said, reaching out to squeeze her hand, feeling the warmth of her skin against mine.
"It's okay," she said, though her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "But actually, it was my aunt Charlotte who was my father's Consort. They were engaged to be married." I nearly choked on my water.
"Wait, what? I thought your aunt was Ryder's father's Consort!" Luce let out a short laugh, though there was little humour in it.
"No, Uncle Aaron never made Regent. I reckon that's part of why there's such bad blood between him and my dad. My dad was the Covenant Regent, and Aunt Charlotte was his Consort. They were supposed to get married after graduation."
"But she married Ryder's dad instead?" I asked, trying to piece together the family drama. "How did that happen?"
"I don't know all the details," Luce admitted.
"Family gatherings aren't exactly a time for honest conversations.
But from what I've gathered, there was some kind of falling out between my dad and Uncle Aaron.
My dad stepped away from the Trivium after graduation, he still attends events and maintains connections, but he's never been as involved as Uncle Aaron wanted him to be. "
"And Charlotte chose Aaron instead," I mused, trying to imagine the dynamics at play.
"I don't know if 'chose' is the right word," Luce said, her voice dropping. "The way Ryder tells it, his dad can be... persuasive. And not in a good way."
I thought about Ryder's father, the few times he'd been mentioned. The way Ryder's entire demeanour changed when his father's name came up, the fear that flickered behind his eyes. A chill ran down my spine despite the warm autumn sun.
"So how did your Aunt end up in Lexington?" I asked, steering us back to the topic that had been gnawing at me since yesterday. Luce glanced around quickly, as if making sure no one was eavesdropping.
"It's not something we talk about," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"But Uncle Aaron was... is... abusive. Mentally, physically.
Aunt Charlotte tried to leave him several times, but he always found ways to bring her back, like he had something over her.
Most people assume she had a breakdown because of the abuse.
" My stomach twisted with sympathy for Charlotte, for Ryder.
Not knowing your mum growing up was one thing, but knowing her and seeing her deteriorate at the hands of your own father, well it explained a lot as to how Ryder was now.
Maybe this possessive thing with him, was trying to hold on to something that could be taken away.
From the way Luce said it though, I knew she was leaving something out.
"But that's not the entire story, is it?" Luce shook her head, her eyes darting around once more.
"No. The breaking point came when she was caught drugging Ryder."
"What?" I gasped, unable to hide my shock. "His mother? Why would she do that?"
"I don't know why," Luce said, sadness etched into her delicate features. "But she was caught slipping sleeping pills into his hot chocolate at night. She'd been doing it for months before anyone found out." My blood ran cold, a sick feeling rising in my throat.
"Sleeping pills in his hot chocolate?" Luce nodded, her expression grim.
"She used to call it her 'special hot chocolate.
' She'd make it for him every night, tell him it would help him sleep better.
" Luce's voice broke slightly. "It's so messed up because she really did love him.
She was always so protective of him, especially around his father.
None of us understood why she would do something like that. "
My mind was suddenly racing, connecting dots I hadn't even realised were there.
The nights Ryder had brought me hot chocolate, his special hot chocolate.
I always slept deeply on those nights. How I'd wake up feeling groggy, with gaps in my memory.
A wave of nausea washed over me as the realisation hit.
Was Ryder drugging me just like his mother had drugged him?
The thought made me feel sick, violated.
And why? Me being drugged would leave me in such a vulnerable position.
I mean he, and the others, could do anything and I wouldn't even know.
I felt the blood drain from my face as my stomach twisted with dread.
The sandwich I'd barely touched threatened to make a reappearance.
If Ryder was drugging me, what had he done to me while I was unconscious? What had any of them done?
The quad suddenly felt too open, too exposed. My hands trembled as I gathered my books, needing to get away, to think, to process this horrifying possibility.
"Cade? Are you okay?" Luce asked, concern etching her features. "You've gone really pale."
"I-I need to go," I stammered, shoving my belongings into my bag with shaking hands. "I just remembered I have a... a thing. I'll talk to you later."
I stood up so quickly I nearly knocked over the bench, ignoring Luce's confused calls as I hurried away. My mind raced with dark possibilities, memories of foggy mornings and unexplained exhaustion taking on sinister new meanings.
I needed proof. I needed to know if Ryder, if any of them, had been violating my… I couldn’t even think about it, in the most fundamental way possible. And if they had, I didn't know what I would do. But I knew I couldn't let it continue. Not for one more night.