Betty’s POV

I stood there frozen after Odette’s words settled over me. It felt like something inside me had cracked open, leaving everything exposed and painfully raw. My thoughts refused to settle no matter how hard I tried to stop them. The more I thought about what she said, the more it started making sense in ways I hated.

Growing up, I never understood why Ivan hated me.

Even as children, there had always been something sharp in the way he treated me. He tolerated everyone else, but ...