Lucien said discipline built legacy.
I knew it built distance.
Sloane turned seven the year I realized she no longer ran to me first.
She learned etiquette before laughter, silence before curiosity.
Lucien monitored everything, her handwriting, her posture at the dining table, the tone of her voice when she spoke to staff.
I watched from doorways.
That became my place in the Sinclair home
“Back straight,” Lucien would say from across the dining table.
Sloane would correct herself instantly, she never complained. She never cried. She simply adapted like children do when love feels conditional.
I used to interrupt. I used to say she was too young for such pressure. The first few times, Lucien ignored me. The next few times, he silenced me with a cold look
Eventually… I stopped
