My feet carried me out of the packhouse, but my thoughts remained trapped inside, replaying Lucas’s words over and over.
"I never cared about her. Nor will I."
Each word was a dagger, sharp and deliberate, twisting in a wound I didn’t even know existed. Why did it matter so much? Why did he matter so much?
I wanted to scream, to cry, to lash out at the unfairness of it all. But instead, I found myself heading toward my mother. She would understand. She always did.
The familiar sound of her laughter reached me before I saw her. For a moment, it was comforting, a tether to something warm and safe. But as I turned the corner, my steps faltered.
There she was, sitting on the veranda with Gabriel. They were talking, her head thrown back in genuine laughter, her eyes sparkling in a way I ha
