Chapter 18 More Severe Injuries

• Ava's POV
• As we walked Evan inside, his head hung in shame and his feet dragged as though the weight of his treachery had at last landed on him, the air in the packhouse felt stifling. My feelings were a jumble of wrath, doubt, and grief. Evan was not only some foreigner. Among us, he had been one of those Jackson and I had trusted. Now, knowing he had endangered our family, it seemed like a blow from which we would not be able to bounce back.
• As we made our way to Jackson's office, the corridor remained still. Seeing us approach, the soldiers stationed outside the entrance stiffened and their eyes flew between Evan and Jackson. None of those were queries. The reality weighed too much for words to adequately express.