Chapter 156 #2
"He agreed, and we eventually discovered the truth about your mother. We learned that the rumours were false and discovered the truth about your heritage, about who you really were and where you came from."
She looked at me.
"That changed everything for me."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I felt sad. I realised that both of us had been wronged. You never got to know your mother, and you were denied your father's love. You grew up as a stranger in a place that rightfully belonged to you too."
She swallowed.
"And I felt guilty because some part of me believed that I had taken away the love that was meant to be yours."
Her fingers twisted together in her lap.
"But a selfish part of me was happy. I got to have the love of both my parents, even though our family was never whole."
I remained silent.
Lysenne took a shaky breath.
"Rhaevan was my solace after the attack on my parents. He was always there when I needed a helping hand. He respected me, protected me, and never made me feel alone."
She smiled faintly, though there was no happiness in it.
"I fell for the person he was. For his heart."
Her eyes met mine.
"And then you came back."
Something in her expression broke.
"I saw the way he looked at you. I saw him doing things for you that I'd never seen him do for anyone else."
She let out a quiet, bitter laugh.
"And I was jealous. I have to admit that."
She wiped at the tears gathering beneath her eyes.
"I was scared, Cassie. I wasn't ready to admit that he didn't love me the way I wanted him to. So I confessed."
She looked down.
"He turned me down."
Her voice grew quieter.
"Somewhere, deep down, I think I always knew. He never saw me that way. He respected me, cared about me, and was always there when I needed him, but none of those things had ever meant what I wanted them to mean."
She drew in a shaky breath.
"So if you're asking whether I'm all right with the two of you being together..."
She looked at me again.
"I'm happy you found your happiness, Cassie."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"But it hurts."
She gave a small, trembling laugh.
"I'm not going to pretend it doesn't."
She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.
"But I'm not cruel enough to take something away from you simply because I couldn't have it. It was a love I was never destined to have, and I've already decided that I need to let it go."
Her voice cracked.
"It won't be easy."
She smiled through her tears.
"But I'll get through it."
I stood there, unable to find a single thing to say.
Lysenne looked toward the floor for a moment before continuing.
"Besides, Father and you are the only family I have left."
She looked at me, her eyes still wet but steadier now.
"I wanted to make amends. I know Father has been unfair to you. I wanted a chance to correct it."
She paused.
"And I wanted the three of us to live as a family."
Her voice softened.
"But it's too late now."
My eyes glistened. My heart ached.
I had hated that author a million times in my head, cursing her for ruining my reputation in that stupid novel. But she had gotten one thing right about Lysenne.
She had portrayed her exactly as she was.
A genuinely kind soul with a heart far too golden for the world she'd been given.
And if I were in her position?
I knew myself well enough to admit that I would probably have been petty enough to throw a vase at me.
I took a deep breath and went to sit beside her.
For a moment, I simply looked at her.
Lysenne had spent so long talking about accepting what she had lost that I could see it in her eyes. She had already begun making peace with a life she didn't want, as though everything that had happened to her was something she simply had to endure.
No.
I wasn't going to let her give up on herself.
I nudged her shoulder gently.
"You know what?" I said. "Nothing is too late yet."
She looked at me, confused.
"We're getting out of here. All of us. You, me, Rey, Lucien, Martha, Cookie... everyone."
A faint smile touched her lips, but there was still doubt in her eyes.
"And after that," I continued, "we're going to live like real sisters."
Her brows lifted slightly.
"We're going to have sleepovers, pillow fights, slumber parties, popcorn..."
She blinked.
"What are all those things you just mentioned?"
I stared at her for a second before grinning.
"Oh, I'm going to introduce you to a whole lot of things."
I threw an arm around her shoulders.
"We're going to have so much fun. Just us. And I'm going to find you a hot, handsome man who's going to spoil you with so much love that he'll look at you like you're the centre of his universe."
I paused dramatically.
"And one day, you'll look at Rhaevan and say, 'Jeez, I fell for this idiot?'"
Lysenne burst out laughing.
"You do realise who you're talking about, right?"
"Hey! You're supposed to agree with me," I protested, crossing my arms with exaggerated annoyance. "Sisters before lovers."
I winked.
She laughed again, shaking her head.
I looked at her for a moment before holding out my pinky.
"Sisters for life?"
She glanced at my outstretched finger before slowly hooking her pinky around mine.
"Sisters for life."
We hugged again.
Damn.
I was having a reunion week.
I pulled back and looked at her with a grin.
"You know, sis, it's not going to be easy being my sibling."
Lysenne smiled, her eyes still wet but warm now.
"I think I've already survived the difficult part. Besides, after everything we've been through, I doubt being your sister could possibly be the hardest thing I'll have to face."
I stared at her.
Then I laughed.
"Okay. I like you already."
She laughed with me, but our sweet moment was interrupted by a knock at the door.
Our laughter faded, replaced by sheer panic.
Lysenne and I looked at each other, our smiles slowly faltering.
I sighed.
"Crap. I think reunion week is over."