Chapter 451
Julie's point of view
Without uttering a single word, his steel-like fingers clamped firmly around my wrist. He pulled me decisively out onto the drive, leading me down the stone pathway until we were well out of sight from the villa's high windows. He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a sleek black smartphone, and pressed it into my hand.
I stared at the modern device resting in my palm, looking back up at his dark face. "What's this?"
His deep, gravelly voice cut through the quiet air, completely dry. "I bought this for you and installed a SIM card. My number is saved inside."
I gripped the phone tightly, leaning closer as a desperate urge to share the madness overtook me. "I need to tell you something... This woman isn't Mirdreth! She's Violet... and she told us she's our real mother!"
I searched his dark, shadowed features, expecting a flare of shock, a twitch of an eyebrow, anything but not a single crack appeared on his icy mask.
