Lucy couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened earlier. The woman’s words clawed at her mind, refusing to let her forget. Every time she tried to push them aside, the bitter accusations echoed louder, stirring frustration and indignation. If she could have shouted back, she would have. How dare someone speak so cruelly about the man she loved? Didn’t that woman realize the pain Drake had endured after losing Thalia? If anything, Drake had been a victim too. Thalia had chosen to risk her life. She had chosen to protect him, to save the man she loved. Her death was her decision. Her will, and not his. Yet everyone seemed to blame him, as if he had pulled the trigger himself. Lucy shook her head, trying to banish the thoughts. How could people be so determined to see others suffer? Did

