Page 131 of Royal Bargain

Smeared on the kitchen floor like someone was dragged.

My stomach drops.

“Shane!” I shout, rushing forward.

He’s crumpled behind the kitchen island, one eye swollen shut, blood caked around his mouth and hair. Barely conscious. Barely breathing.

I drop to my knees beside him, already checking for a pulse. “Jesus—what the fuck happened?”

His lips move, cracked and dry. I lean closer.

“D-Dariy…” he rasps. “He… found her.”

My whole body goes cold.

“Where is she?” My voice comes out hard, sharp, shaking with rage. “Where did he take her?”

Shane winces. “Didn’t say… just—he knew. Like he’d been watching. Took her. Told me to stay down or he’d—kill her.”

My blood roars in my ears.

“And Lily?” I demand, already staggering to my feet, vision going red. “Where’s my daughter?”

Shane coughs, clutching his ribs. “She’s safe. Back room. Crib. I made sure.”

Relief crashes through me like a wave, nearly buckling my knees. But it’s short-lived.

Because Ana’s still gone.

I rub Lily’s back, feeling the way her sobs soften against my chest, and that’s when I see it.

A slip of paper tucked beneath her blanket. Folded small, almost hidden.

I pull it free, already recognizing the familiar scrawl of Ana’s handwriting. My throat tightens.

But the message makes my heart stutter.

The fish return to rot where it all began.

The flower stays in bloom—safe and untouched.

Forgive me.

I stare at the words, the meaning just out of reach—until it slams into me like a freight train.

The fish rot—the canning factory. The place everything went to hell.

The flower stays in bloom.

Lily.

Ana made a choice.

She let them take her. So Lily could be safe.

Forgive me.

My hand shakes as I read it again, and again, hoping the meaning might change. It doesn’t.