Mara
Tiffany turned toward me carefully, mindful of Emma lying between us, her voice dropping to a breathy hush. “I don’t mean to pry, Mara… but what happened that day? When Lucian dragged you upstairs? He looked so angry. His hands were shaking. I thought he believed them… that he believed the lies.”
A sad smile touched my lips. “He asked me if it was true,” I said softly. “And I told him no.”
Tiffany’s eyes widened. “That’s it? Just… no?”
I nodded. “And he believed me.”
She let out a sound halfway between a sigh and a laugh. “You’re so lucky, Mara. If it were me, Darian would’ve tossed me out without blinking.”
We both giggled at the painful truth of it, though mine came laced with bittersweet gratitude. I remembered that moment—how fragile we had been, how much had been on the lin
