Cassie stared at him like he'd suddenly grown two heads, and maybe a third for good measure.
Her brows pulled together slowly, disbelief written all over her face as if she was genuinely trying to figure out whether he was joking or had completely lost his mind.
"Are you even serious right now?" she asked. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried weight. The kind that came from years of swallowed pain finally finding air.
"Seven years, Franklin. Seven years of neglect. Emotional abuse. Being ignored like I didn't exist." Her lips trembled, but she pushed through. "He almost sent me to prison."
She laughed, but there was nothing amusing about it. It came out sharp. Broken. "Frederick had the power. The money. The connections. He could've investigated everything properly. He chose
