CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT
The dock tilted sharply beneath their feet as the first demolition charges detonated under the pavilion and orchard edges. Wood cracked and splintered. The floating platform groaned, one end already sinking into the lake with a slow, inevitable slide.
Elena grabbed Lila’s arm…the real one this time…pulling her back from the edge while the sisters scrambled for balance.
Grandchildren screamed. Journalists backed away from the collapsing structure, cameras still rolling live.
Victoria stood on solid ground near the shore, the younger body radiant in the sunrise light, arms raised as if conducting a symphony. Her voice carried perfectly over the chaos for every microphone and lens.
“Watch, world. My daughters have made their choice. The old illusions fall so the tru
