Adrian didn’t answer me immediately.
That was the first thing that made everything worse, there was no denial, no confusion, just… silence.
His eyes stayed on the locket in my hand for a second too long before he finally looked back at me. And that tiny pause? It said more than any lie he could have told.
“You’re not even going to pretend you don’t know what this is?” I asked.
My voice wasn’t loud, but it wasn’t soft, either. It was… tired, frustrated, it was done.
Adrian exhaled slowly, like he was choosing his words from a pile of broken glass.
“I know what it is,” he said.
Of course you do, I thought bitterly.
“Then explain it,” I said, stepping back to let him into the room. Because I don’t remember you being part of my childhood. I don't remember you at my birthdays.
He walke
