My nightmares that night are a replica of my earlier flashback: same Northern accent, same hushed words. "'The princess must be here. Check in every room and be discreet.'" Only this time, I'm there. Right back in my old room in Moonbright.

I can feel the anger and fear warring for control in my body, just as I can feel the pain of my ankle in every step as I run to Juliette's room. I see the concern on her face as I throw open the door, her eyes darting to my face. "'Lauren? What's going on?'"

I shake my head, putting a finger to my lips. "'We need to go,'" I mouth.

Her only response is a nod as she quickly grabs her cloak and shoes. On silent feet, we run down to the kitchen, where the servant's entrance is. Before we reach it, however, the kitchen door suddenly bangs open. Men in black uniforms surround us, and I push Juliette behind me, trying and failing to master the shaking in my hands.

"'Step aside, girl,'" the one nearest me says.

The same chill runs down my spine as I shake my head, locking eyes with him. "'If you want her, you must go through me.'" The evil glint in his eyes makes my heart skip a beat.

I'm still unsure why this part of the memory was buried so deep inside me, but once it's out in the open, it changes everything for me. Something—the shock or adrenaline of the situation—kept me from noticing or even glancing at the second man.

I do now, however, and the shock and grief nearly pull me from the nightmare. A thousand little details flood my mind all at once. The familiar slant of his eyes as he keeps them trained on me; the hint of gold in his brown hair, the shade nearly identical to mine; the slight crease in his forehead when he frowns.

A heartbeat later, the man who'd spoken lunges at me. I remember enough to know that this was when I blacked out. I wake with a start, crying out. Shaking, I clench the blankets and struggle to get my breathing under control.

The soft voice, when it comes, nearly makes me jump out of my skin. "Laur?" Swallowing hard, I turn and meet Ethan's gaze, concern in his eyes. They scan my face and flick down to my white-knuckled grip on the blankets. Something in his eyes tells me he already knows what I saw without me even saying a word.

"I—I didn't mean to wake you," I stammer, fighting the tears threatening to slip free. I feel embarrassed—like I should apologize. Tonight is the first time (that I know of) Ethan's caught me in the aftermath of one of my more intense nightmares. He shakes his head as he sits up, eyes never leaving my face.

"Are you okay?" His voice is soft, exactly how it was during the flashback.

Maybe it's the lingering shock and grief; perhaps the exhaustion that threatens to pull me under with every breath. Whatever it is, I lose all control over my emotions. Gut-wrenching sobs tear through my chest as tears gather in my eyes and spill down my cheeks.

Sadness; anger; grief; shock—everything comes back full circle, hitting me head-on. Wordlessly, Ethan holds me close, stroking my hair. I cry until the tears eventually subside, leaving me weak and shaky. He pulls away to look into my red-rimmed eyes, using his thumb to wipe a tear off my cheek.

"I'm right here," he says softly. For a few minutes, neither of us says a word. I'm struggling to organize the tangled thoughts in my head, hesitant to speak the words waiting on my tongue. The revelation that I know, without a doubt in my mind, will change everything for our family.

If I give voice to it, the nightmare becomes real. I'll be forced to admit what I've known—it's been real the whole time. I didn't want to admit it to myself. As terrifying as it had been, it gave me much-needed clarity. The shock and grief had muddled me—so much that I'd been unwilling to see what was before me.

But now the truth was out in the open. And I had no choice but to face it. "I know who the other man was that attacked me two years ago." The words come out in a rush, and I hold my breath, anxiously awaiting his response.

His eyes are hard, his jaw clenched. He knows what's coming, and he's fighting to remain calm, if only for my sake. He blows out a heavy breath, squeezing my hand.

I take a shaky breath, my heart pounding in my ears, and suddenly my mouth is open, and I'm speaking. I keep my eyes on Ethan's face the entire time. "It was my father." I'm gasping for breath, sobbing. Dizziness overtakes me as his face blurs, then clears.

He grips my hand, eyes wide and worried. "Lauren, can you hear me?" His voice is muffled, like he's speaking underwater. The last thing I see is the worry etched on his face before my vision goes black.

I regain consciousness hours later, and I first notice that I'm still in our suite. The second thing I notice is that I'm lying down. I take a deep breath, exhaling as I move my arms and legs. Nothing's broken; I can still feel everything. For a heartbeat, I can't remember what happened.

Then, in a rush, it all comes back to me. Seeing both men's faces in the nightmare, the shock and grief from seeing the second man pulling me out of the nightmare. Hearing Ethan's voice, soft and worried. I must have had a panic attack and passed out.

I don't even have the energy to flinch when I hear his voice again. "Lauren? Honey, can you hear me?" His face is deathly pale. His eyes, full of concern, search mine.

I try to speak, but he shakes his head. I nod instead. He lets out a heavy breath, rubbing his eyes. "I'm so sorry, honey." The grief on his face shatters any foolish hope I'd had of it all being a nightmare. It was all true.

Gwen appears beside Ethan, concern and worry on her face. "My lady. Your sisters were frantic when they heard about what happened."

A quiet knock sounds on the door before the words have even finished echoing. Nicole sticks her head in, eyes wide and face pale. "Laur?" Her eyes fill with tears as she walks inside, Allie trailing her. "Are you okay? What happened?"

I swallow hard as I meet each pair of concerned eyes. Knowing that the words waiting on my tongue would likely change my sisters' lives forever, just as they had changed mine. The two of them sit beside my bed, looking at me so concerned that I almost break down. Allie takes my hand as Nicole brushes a stray hair off my forehead.

Exhaustion crashes down on me before I can open my mouth. The former gently squeezes my hand. "It's okay to sleep, Laur. We'll all be here when you wake up."

Despite the lingering terror from the previous nightmare, I lose my valiant battle with exhaustion as my eyes slowly fall closed.

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