Chapter 398

**Chapter 398**
**Judy’s POV**

I felt nervous as I drove up to my parents’ house. I hadn’t seen my father in months. We returned to the territory late last night, and I went home to rest. Now, I was here, dreading the reunion.

Last night, I went to the mansion to sleep. This morning, the first thing I did was head straight to my parents’ house. It was the one that Gavin had bought for them right after he got my father out of prison by paying off all his debts.

I was honestly surprised that my father let me come over.

It happened, but maybe he didn’t have a choice. I knew they were hurting him in prison. They were beating him nearly to death, and then they would heal him just to do it all over again. This was a cycle that seemed endless.

Ethan was skilled at manipulating those around him. He managed to convince the guards and other inmates to target my father.

Just thinking about it made me furious. I despised Ethan for what he had done to my family. I was determined to make him pay for this betrayal.

I felt relieved that Irene finally recognized the monster she had once been engaged to. She had the good sense to end that relationship and move on.

I raised my hand to knock on the door, feeling a nervous flutter in my stomach. As I prepared to knock, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this moment was important.

As I knocked on the door, I couldn’t help but think how silly it was. This was technically my house too. Nothing about me had changed; I had grown up here. I even had a key to the place, even though it was owned by the Cash family for a little while. I still felt like I belonged.

I don’t think they ever set foot in this home. They only bought it to annoy my family.

When the door opened, my mother was standing on the other side with a big frown on her face.

“Why on earth are you here?” she asked.

“Knocking?” She asked, pulling me into a tight hug. “Oh, sweetie, we’ve missed you. We are so unbelievably proud of you! I knew you could do it!”

“You were watching?” I asked.

“Of course!” my mom said, pulling me inside the house and shutting the door. “The whole pack was watching. I’m sure the entire shifter world was watching.”

I felt my face turn red at her words. I couldn’t help but picture everyone seeing me outside.

I heard my father’s deep voice as he walked into the living room. “There she is,” he said. He had a slight limp and his face looked a bit swollen from all the beatings he had taken. His injuries were very serious, and it was clear he had been through a lot.

He hadn’t healed completely yet. I could see that he was still recovering from his major injuries before he could focus on the minor ones.

My stomach twisted when I saw him.

I looked at my dad, my heart heavy with emotion.

“Dad…” I whispered, tears filling my eyes.

I ran into his arms, feeling like a little girl again as he held me tight.

“Oh, sweetheart. I’m okay,” he whispered gently, trying to calm my worries.

“I’m okay now,” she said through her tears.

“Did they starve you?” I asked, pulling back to see her better. I couldn’t stop the tears flowing down my cheeks.

“Among other things…”

“Things,” my father murmured. “But it’s nothing you need to worry about. I’m okay, honestly…”

My mother frowned as she walked toward us.

“We aren’t going to let them…”

“Get away with this,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “What the Cash family did wasn’t okay.”

Chapter 398

I raised my eyebrows and stared at her in shock. She knew that the Cash family was involved in something serious.

I asked, “How did you know?” I wanted to clarify, “I mean, how did you find out?”

She looked at me with narrowed eyes.

“My question is, why didn’t you tell me?” she replied.

“I would have never made a deal with them if I had known about their tricks,” my mother said firmly.

“Because you worshipped the ground that Ethan walked on,” I reminded her.

“I didn’t want to make things worse for you,” she replied.

“I’m sorry I kept it to myself,” she said. “But he’s a monster mom. They all are.”

She nodded, her eyes flashing with anger.

“We know that now,” she added, shaking her head.

“How?”

Beta Taylor called out. My father was the one who answered. He explained that Gavin Landry wanted to pay off the debt I owed. At first, I thought about refusing the offer. Even though I knew I needed help, I felt uneasy about accepting it.

Taylor explained everything that had been happening. It was a lot to take in. Ethan had been manipulating you, using you as a pawn to get what he wanted. He blackmailed you and made you feel trapped.

Taylor pointed out that the debt you had wasn’t fair. You didn’t deserve to be treated this way. It was clear that Ethan took advantage of you, and now you were finally starting to understand the situation.

“I wasn’t foolish enough to turn down his help,” I thought to myself.

I nodded, still feeling a tight knot in my stomach.