Lucian
My father sat on the bench like someone had pulled the ground out from beneath him. He didn’t speak. Didn’t blink. Just stared, hollow and still. I signaled one of the nearby nurses, fearing he might collapse. His silence was louder than any outburst. The truth had hit him like a freight train.
This secret... it was massive. Crushing. And she’d carried it alone for decades.
I turned to Lacy and looked at her—really looked. Same eyes. Same cheekbones. Same quiet defiance that Martha always wore like armor. How hadn’t we seen it? They were inseparable. Always protecting each other. It was right there in front of us. We were just too wrapped up in our own drama to see the obvious.
“Do you know where he is?” I asked, my voice rough.
Lacy shook her head. “She tried. She sold her jew
