He flinched.
“I wasn’t going to.”
That somehow hurt worse.
He continued.
“I didn’t know how to be your father. Margaret disappeared. Russell became untouchable. I spent years imagining revenge.”
“So you arranged for Russell to meet me.”
“Yes.”
“You thought he’d marry me?”
“No.”
A strange smile touched his face.
“I thought he’d investigate you. I thought your resemblance to Margaret would make him curious.”
Russell closed his eyes.
“It did.”
“And then you fell in love with her,” Hayes said.
Russell said nothing.
“That ruined everything.”
I looked at Hayes.
“So your revenge plan failed because Russell loved me?”
“Partly.”
“Then why poison him?”
“Because I discovered what he planned to do with the archive.”
Margaret looked at Russell.
“What did you plan?”
Russell took a slow breath.
“Release it.”
Everyone stared.
