Lucian
“I’m sorry, Mommy,” Lacy whispered, barely able to lift her head. “I really am. I wasn’t thinking. My jealousy toward Darian… it consumed me. I just wanted him to feel what I felt—what it’s like to grow up without a mother.”
Her voice cracked as she turned to Darian.
“I always felt out of place here. Like a stranger in my own home. I just wanted to belong, even if it meant belonging somewhere else. It hurt pretending to be your cousin when I was your sister. It was torture.”
She wiped her face, shaking.
“I used to dream about playing with you. Growing up together. Sharing everything. But our mother kept the truth, and I envied you—for having what I couldn’t. I’m sorry, Darian. I never meant to hurt her. I didn’t know it was poison. If I had… I wouldn’t have done it.”
Then her
