Ava's POV
I stared at Emma, my mind struggling to catch up, everything I believed cracking apart piece by piece.
I had thought my family succeeded in fooling everyone when they framed me.
But Oliver… saw through me anyway. I had completely misjudged him.
“Don’t resent his absence,” Emma added, her voice gentler now. “That stubborn man convinced himself you wouldn’t want to see him. He believed his presence would only deepen your guilt.”
My chest tightened painfully. That sounded exactly like him.
Emma sighed, a weary sound that carried more weight than her words.
“After his diagnosis, I urged him to visit you,” she said. “But he refused. He said you were too perceptive… that you would sense his illness immediately and blame yourself for it.”
Something in my chest twisted violently,
