Damien’s pov:
I didn’t mean to listen.
I had stopped outside the door only to make sure the guards were positioned correctly. Gideon was weak, unstable, and this meeting carried too much risk to leave anything to chance. I told myself that was all it was.
Then I heard Sera’s voice, soft and strained. It sounded like she was holding her emotions together by nothing but will.
“Is that why Mom died?”
My body went still. The corridor seemed to narrow around me. Every sound faded except the blood rushing in my ears.
There was a pause. It was too long and too careful.
“No,” Gideon finally said sharply.
I knew it was a complete lie.
“Then why won’t you tell me?” Sera asked. Her voice cracked. “You don’t get to protect me with silence anymore.”
I closed my eyes.
Gideon’s answer came qu
