Lyra’s POV
“As your father, it’s a command that you must follow him.”
The words struck like a hammer, firm, unyielding. My father’s voice carried that weight that always made me freeze as a little girl, yet tonight it only churned my anger.
“Oh, Dad, what did he do to you that makes you so blind?” I shouted, my throat trembling with suppressed tears. “How can you stand here and tell me to follow him after everything? Did you forget he’s behind everything that ruined my life?”
The room fell into heavy silence. Nobody breaths. The walls themselves seemed to hold their breath, watching the storm that cracked open inside me.
Then—Mom broke. Her cry shattered that silence. She covered her face with both hands, shoulders trembling. “So I cannot beg you? Cannot look for one favor from my own
