Chapter 225: The Truth (Part Two)
"Great! Then tell me what is the truth."
Annalise’s words were followed by a quick exchange of glances between her parents and the King as if they were communicating telepathically.
She didn’t like at all how lost and scared she felt at that moment, almost like a lost child with no sense of direction. Her only warmth amid the freezing cold were her husbands who were waiting downstairs for her.
She noticed the deep breath the King took as if he was preparing himself to launch into a lengthy story, so she decided to interupt right before he could have even gotten the chance to open his mouth. She directed both her attention and her words at her father as she spoke, "I want to hear the truth from you."
The Grand Duke’s shoulders became stiff visibly at her words as if he wasn’t expecting her to put him at attention just like that. Unfortunate for him, the King was already settling down in his seat as if he had already given up on the idea of being a mediator.
This time, it was the Grand Duke who took in a deep breath and nodded his head slightly when his wife softly patted his hand. He didn’t turn to look at Annalise but at least he started speaking. "Do you want to hear the truth from us before learning about the entire story?"
Annalise almost felt her entire world shattering as her father’s question almost confirmed everything, barely leaving any room for her hope. Still, instead of breaking down on the very spot as she deeply wanted in her heart, she put on a stone like expression and replied, "Start with the truth." Her voice came out stronger than she was expecting and it kind of helped her in feeling good a little bit.
The Grand Duke finally turned his face to look directly at her before he whispered - "The truth is... you aren’t our biological daughter, Annalise."
She thought she was kind of prepared for it, or at least, she was prepared enough to fomentation handle herself but what a fool she was to even think like that. As the last thread of her hope was finally broken, all that left behind was pain... a lot of it.
It was almost like her heart stopped beating in her chest and her lungs refused to breathe. It was so suffocating that she could feel tears burning the back of her eyes. Her vision blurred as her parents completely disappeared from front of her eyes but the idea of crying made her even more angry.
’Annalise... breathe.’ Valerius’ deep commanding voice made its way through the fog surrounding her mind and body, pulling her against a warmth that was nothing like the chill that had taken over her body.
"Ana? Is she alright?" The soft but worry filled voice belonged to the Grand Duchess as she noticed how still Annalise had suddenly went. She almost looked like a statue sitting there on the couch.