Chapter 101 Too Many Flawed Secrets

Chapter 101 Too Many Flawed Secrets
Alyssa’s POV

I didn’t remember when my knees gave out beneath me.

One moment I was standing, gripping the small recorder so tightly my fingers hurt, and the next, I was on the floor of Kayden’s guest room, my body folding in.

No…whatever I had heard in that recorder must have been manipulated. I wanted to believe that lie so much it hurt.

My palm pressed hard against my mouth, but it did nothing to contain the sound that escaped me—something between a gasp and a broken breath. My other hand clutched my stomach, as if I could hold myself together physically when everything inside me had just been torn apart.

At first, the recorder had only played silence and normal movements. My fingers had trembled as I skipped forward impatiently before her voice eventually came through.

My mother’s voice. Or, my adopted mother- would I call her?

“I will never give Alyssa to you. I raised her. You have the twin, so don’t be greedy.”

My breath hitched again as the words replayed in my mind, louder now than they had been through the device.

A twin.

I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head slowly as if that alone could undo what I had heard.

No.

No, that didn’t make sense.

My mother was my mother. She had raised me. She had been there—hadn’t she? Even if she was not perfect. Every memory I held onto suddenly felt fragile, like glass that might shatter if I looked at it too closely.

As if that wasn’t enough to break me. I had listened through her second call also. “I made sure to finish the bottle on him before I left. It’s a slow poison. Richard Jackman won’t last long.”

My stomach churned violently, and I bent forward, gripping myself tighter.

She had said many things. She worked in the Jackman house for another mission entirely— to kill Kayden’s father.

How did I miss it? How did I miss that the woman I grew under was a killer? 

All her words echoed in my head with horrifying clarity.

She had been poisoning him.

All that time she worked in that house… all those days I thought she was just trying to survive, trying to provide for us—

She had been killing someone.

A shaky breath tore through me, my entire body trembling now.

Was I… part of that plan too?

A sob slipped past my fingers before I could stop it. I dragged in a breath, but it felt like there wasn’t enough air in the room.

Sean had listened to this.

He had known.

My eyes burned as tears streamed freely now, blurring everything around me. The weight of it pressed down on my chest so hard it hurt to breathe.

I had grown up with a stranger.

A stranger who had lied to me my entire life.

A stranger who had taken me from my real mother.

A stranger who was capable of poisoning someone to death.

So my father…no wonder he’d never cared so much. He had always been away and my mum, no- adopted mum, had always been justifying his actions.

He had no fault. I wasn’t his so he felt no responsibility towards me. I had been angry all my life for the wrong reasons.

My thoughts spiraled, faster and faster, until one rose above the rest like a knife twisting in my chest.

How would Kayden feel if he found out?

My body went rigid.

If he found out that the woman who raised me had been trying to kill his father…

My stomach dropped. I’m glad I didn’t make the mistake of listening to the recorder in his presence. I had sought for privacy and he had granted it.

I couldn’t let him know. Not when we were just trying to find a steady ground to place ourselves. Everything would crumble.

‘And I don’t think I’m ready to lose him.’

My hand tightened around the recorder, and before I could think better of it, I pushed myself up from the floor.

I needed answers.

I needed to see the woman who raised me.

She had to say the truth to my face.

The room spun slightly as I stood, but I ignored it, wiping my tears with the back of my hand before stepping out of the guest room.

I found Kayden outside on the veranda, leaning casually against the railing, one arm resting over it as he looked out into the quiet stretch of the evening.

For a second, I just stood there, watching him. I thought he was smoking, but there was nothing in his hands.

He looked… peaceful.

Grounded like nothing in his world had just been ripped apart. And his father might be dying slowly. Courtesy of my adopted mum.

I forced my lips into a smile before stepping closer, hoping he wouldn’t notice the way my hands still trembled slightly at my sides.

He turned at the sound of my footsteps, his gaze landing on my face immediately.

A small smile curved his lips.

“That smile means there’s nothing to worry about in the recorder, right?”

Oh, he had no idea.

For a fraction of a second, I almost told him the truth.

It sat right there on my tongue, heavy and suffocating.

But then I pictured his reaction.

And I swallowed it.

I nodded.

“It’s nothing serious,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “Just… my mum’s personal issues. It doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

The lie tasted bitter, but I forced myself to hold his gaze.

Kayden studied me for a moment longer than I was comfortable with, his eyes searching my face like he was trying to read something beneath the surface.

Then, slowly, he smiled.

“I can’t believe you went as far as planting a recorder just to get answers,” he said, a hint of amusement slipping into his tone. “You should seriously consider joining the FBI or something.”

A soft laugh escaped me, more reflex than genuine.

“Don’t judge me.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” he replied easily.

His hand came to my waist, pulling me closer until there was barely any space left between us.

My breath caught slightly, the warmth of him deceiving me for a moment that everything was fine. But nothing actually was.

All of it blurred at the edges as I found myself staring up at him instead. Not minding that he was way taller and I was straining my neck.

His eyes.

That deep, oceanic blue that always seemed to see too much. They are intense and magnetic.

His face. Every feature he harbored was carved into perfection.

“You’re beautiful,” he said quietly, like the words had slipped out without permission.

My chest shifted.

“I was just thinking the same thing about you,” I replied honestly, my voice tender.

His lips curved a bit, like he wanted to say something more.

But I didn’t let him.

“Can I borrow your car?” I asked suddenly.

His expression shifted, a faint frown forming between his brows.

“For what?”

“I need to go see my mum,” I said quickly. “I’ll be back soon.”

“I can drive you,” he offered immediately.

I shook my head.

“No. I’ll go myself.”

There was a pause. A small one, but heavy enough to make my chest tighten.

“Is something going on that you’re not telling me?” he asked, his voice quieter now. I think he was the damn FBI. Not me. He seemed to always sense everything.

I shook my head again, forcing a small smile.

“I just need to see her.”

He held my gaze for a moment longer, like he was debating whether to push further.

Then he sighed.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his keys and placed them in my hand.

“I’m starting to realize I’m very flawed when it comes to you,” he said, his voice low, his eyes locked onto mine. “You’re my weakness, Alyssa King.”

My breath stuttered as his words did things to me. I did not want to lose this man.

And that only heightened the guilt I felt. It twisted so painfully in my chest it made my eyes water. Because I didn’t deserve him. He would soon know that.

And I wasn’t ready.

“I’ll be back soon,” I said, hoping it was true.

My hands tightened around the steering wheel as I dialed my mother’s number, my heart pounding so loudly it felt like it might burst out of my chest.

She picked up on the second ring.

“I can’t believe you’re calling me,” she snapped immediately. “Why did you block my number from reaching out to you, Alyssa? I’ve been worried sick—”

“Where are you?” I cut in impatiently. 

She paused, then- “I’m about to leave home,” she replied cautiously.

“Don’t yet,” I said quickly. “I’m coming.”

Before she could respond, I ended the call.

My grip tightened on the wheel as tears blurred my vision again.

She wasn’t my mother.

I had a twin.

And the woman who raised me had been poisoning someone to death. The father of the man I’m in love with.

Nothing made sense anymore.

I barely noticed how quiet the road had become until a car swerved in front of me.

My heart jumped violently as I slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching against the asphalt.

Another car pulled in from behind.

Blocking me in.

My pulse spiked instantly.

“What the hell—?”

The doors of the car ahead opened.

Two men in black suits and shades stepped out.

They both moved with a kind of calm that felt intimidating.

A chill ran down my spine. But I wasn’t thinking straight. I needed to be somewhere.

I pushed my door open, stepping out cautiously.

“You just blocked my way—what are you doing?” I snapped, my voice shaky despite my attempt to sound firm.

They didn’t answer.

They just kept walking toward me.

Something wasn’t right.

My instincts screamed at me to move—to run—but before I could react…

A hand grabbed me from behind, pressing a cloth tightly over my nose.

A sharp, unfamiliar smell filled my lungs.

My body went rigid instantly, panic surging through me as I struggled, my hands clawing at the arm holding me in place.

No.

My vision blurred.

My strength faded faster than I could fight it.

The world tilted, spinning out of control as darkness crept in from the edges.

And just before everything went black—The last thought that flashed through my mind was Kayden.

Then nothing.