Chapter 410

410–I Surrender

Madeline:

I felt as if they had sucked the soul out of my body. The way they spoke about Baxter, the way they hinted at everything they could use against him, none of it felt right,

Lord William could only defend him to a certain point. By the end of the day, he would have to sit in court and listen to everything. I knew how easily they could twist the truth. 1

I would be left alone.

There were not one, but three offenses attached to Baxter’s name.

The monster accusation alone would spark rage among the people, especially once they learned that his pendant, the one he never took off, had been found in the victim’s hand.

It looked as if she had tried to save herself in her final moments.

My breathing grew heavy as I tried to calm myself.

“We can open a court case,” Elgin continued, “and you know what will happen. Until the case is resolved and you prove his innocence, he will not be allowed in the hospital. Even Lord William will not be able to stop that. It will be one voice against many, and he will have to listen to the complaints p>

He did not stop.

“For now, he protected you because you and your husband were seen as innocent people whose only crime was choosing each other. But once the truth comes out, that your husband has been breaking rules so carelessly, Lord William will not have the power to keep him here. Not even for a few days. And you know every minute matters for him p>

By the time Elgin finished, I felt like my knees would give out.

“Why are you so determined to make my life miserable?” I snapped. “Was Baxter never your friend? Did he never mean anything to you? Tell me one thing, just one thing that we did to you that turned you into this p>

The words poured out before I could stop them. I did not know what I had done wrong. All this time, I thought they were hurting me for no reason. Instead of guilt, instead of facing consequences for their actions, they kept placing punishment after punishment on me.

After I asked, both of them stared at me in silence.

“You let my daughter die,” Graham said suddenly. 3

“And you accused us of touching you,” Elgin added quickly. That led to my children being bullied p>

It sounded like an excuse, something he had convinced himself was enough to justify everything.

“What about before that?” I asked.

They looked at each other, then swallowed hard.

“You said you used us,” Elgin replied.

“That was after everything,” Graham corrected him quietly

They had nothing else to say. They just stood there, staring at me.

“ Whatever,” Graham said finally. “We are not here to explain ourselves. You will listen to us p>

112 Touk

We are offering you in turn, we will be open your headed. He will stay here and recalve

five revés tes pay. That to All”

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He he found his footing again, donging the seed once or after realizing they could not justify what they were doing to the

“So you have to toes p>

stated, slipping his hands into his pockets and taking a deep breath, as if eaper for thy answer, “You can walk away today, go to Lord Willia, tell him we are threatening you, and explain exactly what those threats are so we can openly discuss Baker’s crimes, Or you can accept our job

He paused briefly.

“And you will also need to explain your wolf,” Graham added casually, “I am just saying, we could slip that into the discussion as well p>

I watched their faces with disbelief and disappointment. What had 1 done to these people? Nothing. They were simply cruel.

They were content with their lives, and from what I could see, their only problem was that they did not want me to be happy. They would rather tear me apart than see me at peace. That was their victory.

“Think about your children, Madeline,” Graham whispered “They are alone now. They do not have a father. And if their mother is also taken away for investigation, whether for her wolf or her husband’s crimes, I do not think they will survive this world”

He spoke softly, as if he wanted me to believe he was grieving Gina. I did not believe him.

“What is the job?” I asked.

As I took a steady breath, the way the two of them exchanged an excited glance and stepped closer sent a chill through me.

“It is nothing harmful,” Graham explained quickly, “You will come over and discuss the sickness with us. That is all”

I did not believe that either. If sickness were truly their concern, they would have gone to Lord William.

“And what else?” 1 demanded,

Their expressions shifted. The frowns disappeared, replaced by something blank, almost offended. Elgin scratched the back of his neck,

“We will see,” he replied. “There may be moments when you need comfort, and we are willing to provide it.” 3

His words hit hard. I closed my eyes and turned my face away.

“We just want to see how far you are willing to go for your husband and your children,” Graham added. “Because Madeline, you already lost Gina. I do not think you are ready to lose anyone else p>

I looked back at him. He rested his hands on his waist and looked away, glancing back only once as he waited for my decision.

“So tell us,” Elgin said calmly, “Should we expect you to come to work on the sickness in two hours, or should we go to Lord William and inform him that we are threatening you over the case? The choice is yours p>

They were not afraid. Not even of admitting what they were doing. Their words were chosen carefully and deliberately,

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