"I didn't mean to... it just happened," Lyra said, her voice low but steady as she locked eyes with him. There was fear there yes, but layered beneath it was something far darker. "She made me so angry... I wanted to burn her alive."
Casian flinched. The cruelty in her words was staggering, not because they were violent but because she meant them.
And she didn't regret it. Not even a little.
And that's what truly stunned him. Her expression wasn't remorseful. If anything, she looked justified. Resolved. Unapologetically certain.
Lyra, however, had no intention of pretending anymore. Not when the truth had scorched its way to the surface. She didn't regret lashing out. Not when she had every reason to. But what happened after… that still haunted her.
Because it wasn't her who bore the punishment.
It was the one who tried to protect her.
