Lies Between Us

RAYNA'S POV The wind sliced through my skin just like a knife caresses flesh. At the cemetery I kept my head down because the gray sky showed me my inner sadness. A light smell of wet dirt blended with church bell chimes that marked time in a society that ignored its past and current residents. My brother Roman sat next to me without speaking as he preserved his strong expression. He remained fixated on the gravesite since our arrival at the cemetery. His eyes showed what his face kept hidden. He stared ahead with deep sadness indicating the long wait for today had brought him too late. The discomfort between us remained present as if it were a powerful force around us. The priest spoke empty words as someone who once knew our father but did not touch me. They followed the traditional ceremony steps just like previous services. This ceremony looked unimportant despite being our daily experiences. Everyone present attended the funeral without accepting its real meaning. Nobody truly expressed sadness during the gathering since everyone present appeared as lifeless figures. Every person present had forgotten the true impact of this loss. The dead body felt the weight of the earth as the shovel plunged into the dirt making a dull sound throughout the silent space. My hands gripped the thin bracelet that held the watch my father wore before he passed away. It felt too heavy then. Too full of promises broken. The weight of it was a constant reminder of the man who had failed to protect us, the man who had brought us to this point of ruin. My father. Michael Lincoln. A name that once commanded respect in the city, now reduced to ashes and dirt beneath my feet. I had loved him. I had believed in him. But the world had torn him apart, just as it had torn my mother apart. The pain would destroy my heart if I just let it happen and did nothing. Roman interrupted the quiet atmosphere, "Rayna." Through the wind's noise I heard a faint sound but kept myself from looking at him. “It’s over.” I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. Not yet. Roman changed his eyes position while showing his irritation through his presence. He didn’t understand—he never had. Throughout their lives Roman showed he did not want to remain distant but preferred to forgive and trust in time to bring resolution. I realized that wounds remain unhealed whenever time passes by. The buried memories swallowed up the past until it strangled you. As the priest ended his prayers my attention remained focused on my own thoughts. I kept my focus off the deceased and the others saying their farewells. My mind was on what came next. The city had turned its back on us. The city that had once adored my father had forgotten him the moment his empire crumbled. They didn’t care that he had been wronged. They didn’t care that the Kane family had orchestrated his downfall. They only cared about who had the most power, the most influence. I turned my eyes toward the crowd of mourners. The faces were familiar—faces of those who had once called themselves friends, allies. Now, they looked at me with pity, with disdain. They were the ones who had turned away when our family fell. They were the ones who had whispered behind our backs, who had said my father had brought this on himself. They had abandoned me, abandoned Roman, abandoned our father the moment he had lost everything. “Let them think what they want,” Roman muttered beside me. He had been reading my thoughts again, and I didn’t bother to deny it. Roman’s eyes softened. “Rayna…” The sound of the shovel hitting the ground broke our moment of tension. Another pile of dirt fell, filling the space around the coffin. I took a step back, my eyes never leaving the grave. I felt the weight of my father’s death settle deep within my bones. But there was no grief. There was only coldness. Only resolve. I could still hear the whispers, the rumors that had tainted our family’s name. I could still hear the way people spoke about Michael Lincoln behind closed doors, how they said he had brought ruin to his family. They didn’t know the full story. They didn’t know the lengths to which the Kane family had gone to destroy us. And that was exactly how the Kanes wanted it. They controlled the narrative, and everyone else just followed along. Roman placed a hand on my shoulder, but I didn’t flinch. I couldn’t. “You’re not alone in this.” “I know.” I finally met his gaze, my eyes dark, unwavering. After waiting we saw all attendants move away from the grave until we stood all alone there. A fresh burst of wind swept through the area while I stood there. The climate of the city reminded me of its chilling effect on my body since I had known it. I didn’t care. I had nothing left to lose. The last visitors left the site so I started toward the exit. Roman matched my pace while I ignored his presence. I didn’t look at anyone. I had my eyes set on something far beyond this funeral, beyond the ashes of my father’s life. My father’s death was the beginning of something new. A new world where the Kanes wouldn’t be allowed to sit on their thrones any longer. A world where I would be the one to control the game. “Come on,” I said to Roman, my voice low. “It’s time.” Without speaking we walked toward the car that waited beside the approaching city's darkness. Within the car backseat I carefully touched my father's watch that I had reclaimed from my hands. The watch served as a pledge to recover everything that we had sacrificed. I held this object to remember what I wanted to restore. I clutched the watch too hard while trying not to talk past a whisper. “The games had just begun.”