“I left them behind.”
The words echoed inside the helicopter.
No one spoke.
Lucien sat frozen, the brass token clenched so tightly in his fist that his knuckles had turned white.
I reached for his hand.
“Lucien…”
He didn’t look at me.
“I remember the hallway.”
His voice was distant.
“I remember the alarms.”
“I remember Adrian shouting at me to run.”
His breathing grew heavier.
“And I remember…”
He squeezed his eyes shut.
“…locking the door.”
A stunned silence filled the cabin.
⸻
Damien frowned.
“What door?”
Lucien swallowed hard.
“There was a security wing.”
“The children were hidden there.”
He looked sick.
“Someone handed me Lily.”
“They told me to get her out.”
“And the others?”
Serena asked quietly.
His jaw trembled.
“I tried.”
“I couldn’t.”
His voice crack
