Eleanor's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Elise always was stronger than I gave her credit for. Fifteen years in a coma, and she still managed to ruin my plans." She coughed, a wet, rattling sound. "I suppose I should have pulled the plug when I had the chance."
Luna felt Grayson tense beside her, but he kept his voice level. "Why, Eleanor? Why any of this?"
"Why?" Eleanor laughed, the sound bitter and hollow. "Because I gave everything to men who saw me as nothing. Your father used me to steal from the man I loved. David Chen looked right through me as if I were invisible. And when I tried to claim what was rightfully mine—research I helped fund, patents I had a stake in—they all called me greedy, vindictive, jealous."
She stood slowly, leaning heavily on her can
