Lyra’s POV
I sank back into the bed with a weary sigh, pressing my palms into the mattress as though its softness could somehow absorb the heaviness in my chest. “Someone actually tried to poison me, Dimitri. Do you think someone despises me that much?”
His dark gaze softened, the sharp edges of his usual expression easing. “No, Lyra. No one here hates you.”
“Then why?” My voice cracked, the sound thin and brittle. “Why would anyone do this?”
“It wasn’t meant for you in particular,” he said, lowering himself to sit beside me, the bed dipping under his weight. My mother gave the plant to all the ladies, not realizing the reaction it could have on a human. It wasn’t a targeted attack… at least, not in her mind. She didn’t know.”
I stared at him, my fingers curling into the sheets. But s
