Selene's POV.
Mother reached for me; her hands shook. "I am sorry, Selene."
I raised my palm slowly. "Don't please"
I glanced up at Father.
He stood, shoulders stiff like a moulded statue.
His eyes didn't meet mine immediately, but when they did, they weren't angry anymore.
In his eyes, I saw a man with a secret.
"Dad?" I whispered, "How could you?"
"You were eighteen," he said slowly. "You were naïve. In love with a boy who had nothing to offer you but struggle."
My chest burned. "So you sent him away?"
He clenched his jaw. "It was a decision that seemed good at the time, Selene."
"A decision that wasn't yours to make," I whispered.
Silence stretched between us.
For the first time in my life, my father looked unsure.
"Everything I did," he said quietly, "was to protect you.
