For several long seconds...
No one spoke.
Margaret stood beside the old wooden desk, her weathered fingers resting on the thick file labeled PROJECT PHOENIX.
The room felt colder than before.
Outside, thunder rolled across the sky, followed by a streak of lightning that briefly illuminated the dusty archive.
Lily looked from Margaret to Ethan.
Then to Lucas.
Each of them seemed to be waiting for someone else to speak first.
Finally, Lily broke the silence.
"...You knew my parents?"
Margaret smiled faintly.
"I knew them before any of you realized your lives were connected."
Her voice carried years of exhaustion.
Not fear.
Not guilt.
Just someone who had carried a secret for far too long.
Lucas stepped forward.
"If you know the truth, why wait twenty years?"
Margaret looked
