The Weight Beneath the Truth
Victor tilted her chin up gently with his free hand, guiding her eyes back to his own — steady, patient, impossibly soft in a way only she ever earned from him.
"Mother," he murmured, voice low, almost a plea wrapped in steel, "please. Say it. I need to understand."
Her lips parted, trembling around a truth she'd buried for years.
Because…
Because…
But nothing came out — only a shiver in her breath, a tightening in her throat, and that haunted flicker in her gaze. It was the look of someone standing in front of a door that had stayed locked for too long… and finally running out of excuses to keep it shut.
But nothing came out — only a shiver in her breath, a tightening in her throat, and that haunted flicker in her gaze. It was the look of someone standing in front of a door that had stayed locked for too long… and finally running out of excuses to keep it shut.
The room fell tight and silent.
