Betrayed by Blood: My Second Life as a Queen novel Chapter 309

Tessa didn't even care about the physical pain anymore; she scrambled up, desperate to stop the audio.

But the moment she got to her feet, Xavier slammed her ruthlessly back down to the ground.

Her knees crashed against the coarse gravel, and combined with her existing bruises, the pain sent violent tremors through her entire body.

Xavier's tone was low, laced with undisguised disgust. "Tessa, what are you so guilty about? Let Willow play it!"

Tessa's body went completely rigid, but pinned down by force, she had no way to break free.

She clamped her jaw shut. At this moment, only one thought echoed in her mind: she was finished.

The recording continued to play, her smug voice now sounding like a death knell.

[Willow, your dad is on some Uncharted Isle. Aside from me, no one knows his exact location. You only get one chance. If you don't do exactly what I say, you'll never see him again.]

When Julian heard those words, his gaze snapped to Tessa's face. His eyes were a storm of complicated, conflicting emotions, as if he were agonizing over a difficult choice.

Xavier's eyes immediately sharpened. He shot a dazed look at Willow, his mind reeling with one singular realization.

So... this was how Tessa bullied her behind their backs.

Even now, when Tessa was no longer the favored golden child, she could still execute something this vile without a second thought. What about before?

When they used to pamper her endlessly, wouldn't she have been even more arrogant? How many times had she tormented Willow in the shadows?

No wonder Willow was always so frail, spending so much of her time hunched over, insecure and full of grievances.

But back then, Xavier hadn't realized the truth at all. He had blindly assumed Willow was just acting pathetic to rebel against him and drive Tessa away.

He never once considered that Willow was actually being abused.

Now, memories of the past crashed over him like violent, relentless waves, swallowing him whole, cutting off his oxygen, and crushing his chest until he felt like he was being ripped apart.

Xavier trembled violently from the pain. It hurt far more than when he took a bullet to the shoulder.

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