Author's POV
Victoria steadied herself before speaking."I met her today,at the café."
Gloria raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"She's... not what I expected." Victoria's hands twisted together. "She's genuine. Protective. When I tried to offer her money to leave, she didn't even consider it. Just... looked at me with those honest eyes and said she was keeping Adrian."
"Good for her."
"She said when they have children, she'll fight for them with everything she has. That she won't let anyone hurt them, bloodline politics be damned." Victoria's voice dropped to almost a whisper. "She said she's not like me."
The words hung between them, heavy with old regrets.
"She's not," Gloria agreed gently. "She's stronger than you were allowed to be. Braver than circumstances permitted you
