"Do you?" Lucas pressed. "Because from where I stand, it looks like you're preparing to repeat the same mistakes. Using force where persuasion should suffice, demanding loyalty without offering reasons to give it freely."
The same mistakes. The phrase cut deeper than I wanted to admit, because there were parallels I'd been trying to ignore. The way I'd isolated Catherine, the way I'd used her family's desperation as leverage, the way I'd imprisoned her rather than trust her with truth.
But she's not Lydia, I insisted silently. She doesn't have Lydia's capacity for cruelty, her willingness to destroy others for personal gain.
"Lydia chose her path," I said aloud. "Catherine... Catherine is here because she had no choice."
"Exactly." Lucas's voice carried satisfaction, as if I'd finally
