Lyra
I stared at him, frozen in place, his words echoing in my mind like a cruel blade pressed against my already fragile heart.
"How long did it take for you to come up with such a story?"
The disbelief in his voice stabbed deeper than I could have imagined. After everything I had just confessed, the agony of betrayal, the torment of death, the second chance I had been gifted by the Moon Goddess… I expected hesitation, maybe even fear. But not mockery.
My throat tightened, and before I could stop myself, I swatted his hand away from my forehead. The sharp smack of skin against skin rang louder in the clearing than the rustling of the leaves around us.
"How could you say that?" I whispered, my voice trembling, my chest tightening with disappointment.
My heart felt like it had been ri
