Ethan sighed, running a hand over his face. He could see Lily was cornered. Her defenses were slipping, and for a second, just a second, her eyes looked ssy, like she was close to crying.

    That alone was enough to make him slow down. He knew his sister, she would rather w her out of a room than let anyone see her cry.

    He had to stop.

    “Sit down,” he said softly, his voice losing the anger it had carried a moment ago.

    way

    Lily scoffed instantly, flipping her hair back as though to shake off that small moment of showing her feelings. “I don’t need your pity.”

    “I don’t pity you, Lily,” Ethan said, steady and calm now. “Please. Sit.”

    There was something in his tone, something quiet but firm that made Lily hesitate. Her lips pressec into a thin line before she finally dragged herself back to the bed. She sat down reluctantly, crossing one leg over the other like she had to prove she was still in control.

    Ethan stayed by the door, folding his arms across his chest. He rested his back against the wood and studied her carefully.

    “Mia is not your enemy, Lily,” Ethan said after a pause, his voice soft, almost tired.

    Lily let out a dryugh and nced at him. “I know that.” She shifted her gaze away, her fingers tugging at the edge of her nail polish bottle. For a moment she was quiet, then she exhaled slowly. “Sometimes… I guess I forget.”

    Ethan frowned slightly, his eyes softening as he watched her.

    “I’m still so jealous of her,” Lily admitted suddenly, herugh sharp but sad. “No matter how much I tell myself I’m not. No matter how much I remind myself I’m different now. That I’m no longer the girl I was in Willowcrest…” Her words trailed off.

    “You are not that person you were in Willowcrest,” Ethan said quickly. His tone carried certainty, even if she didn’t believe it.

    Lily’s head snapped toward him, her eyes narrowing. “Don’t lie to me.”

    “I’m not lying,” Ethan said firmly, “You’ve changed, Lily, I see it. I see the effort you’ve put into changing, into being better. I see the way you love Aiden. You’re not the self–centered, selfish girl you were in Willowcrest.”

    Lily sighed again and nced at her brother. His words dug at her, and even though she didn’t want to admit it, they softened something inside her chest.

    3:09 pm

    E55 vouchers

    “I know you hated me back in Willowcrest,” Lily said quietly, her voice almost breaking.

    “Hate is a strong word,” Ethan replied, shaking his head.

    “No need to lie,” Lily said with a weak smile. “We were one twisted family. We hated each other.”

    Ethan chuckled softly, even though there wasn’t much humor in it. “Twisted, yeah. I’ll give you that. But hate? No. I still won’t say it’s hate. We just… we couldn’t stand each other most of the time. Mostly because we had no idea how to show affection. No idea how to be there for each other. That’s the truth. The point is, we are not those people we were back then at Willowcrest.”

    Lily’s eyes dropped to her hands. Her fingers picked at the skin around her nails.

    “I know you want the best for Aiden,” Ethan said softly. “But that’s not for you to decide. Mia is his mother. She has the final say about if Aiden will meet his father or not.”

    Lily’s jaw clenched. “It’s just ridiculous.”

    “Maybe it is,” Ethan admitted. “But that’s not your call to make. And for Alex…” He sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Please stop stalking the guy-”

    “I wasn’t stalking,” Lily cut in quickly, her voice defensive. She looked away, embarrassed. “I just wanted to see what he looks like now.”

    “I’m sure you can see that online,” Ethan said, unimpressed.

    “It’s not the same,” Lily muttered under her breath, her voice so low it almost disappeared.

    “Lily,” Ethan warned, his tone sharper now.

    She lifted her eyes to him, defiant even in her shame. “Look, I know he will never see me. Just like he never saw me in Willowcrest, even when I was literally naked in front of him.”

    Ethan made a face instantly, his stomach turning. “I did not need to know that.”

    Lily chuckled, shaking her head like it was all some silly memory, even though her voice carried the weight of old wounds. “I made peace with that a long time ago. It was just a stupid thought that I acted on.

    “Okay,” Ethan said, though his tone made it clear he didn’t want to dig into that any further.

    Lily stared at him then, her eyes narrowing slightly. “How did you even know I went to hispany?”

    Ethan smirked faintly, lifting a brow. “I have my ways.”

    Lily scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Of course you do.” She leaned back against the headboard, her voice quieter now. “Look, I’ll apologize to Miater. I was out of line. But that doesn’t mean I still don’t think she’s stupid for keeping the boy from his father.”

    3:09 pm

    55 vouchers

    “Have you forgotten how we left Willowcrest?” Ethan shot back, his voice carrying an edge of warning.

    “Charles ckwell is not here,” Lily countered quickly.

    “But the fear is still there,” Ethan said. His voice softened, but his eyes didn’t leave hers. “Mia is scared of a lot of things, Lily. Let her ovee her fear. She has already decided she will tell Alex. Let her do it on her own terms.”

    Lily scoffed, shaking her head like she couldn’t stand the patience he was asking her to have. “Fine.”

    “Lily,” Ethan warned again, his tone sharper, his eyes firm.

    “I heard you,” she said tly.

    Ethan stared at her for a long moment. He knew his sister too well. He knew how her mind worked, how she could smile one second and tear a house down the next. He knew her silence wasn’t surrender, it was calction.

    And he had no idea what to do with her.

    Esther turned to look at her son.

    “Mom.”

    She turned fully, her eyes narrowing at the seriousness in his tone.

    “What’s wrong?” she asked carefully.

    Alex’s face was hard, unreadable. His eyes locked onto hers, sharp, piercing, and demanding an

    answer.

    “How did you know?” he asked instead.

    The question caught her off guard. Her lips parted, but no sound came out for a moment. She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. “Is it true?” she whispered, her voice unsteady, almost like she already knew the answer but needed to hear it from him.

    “Yes.” His voice was firm, unshaken. “The entire deal was a set–up.”

    Esther paled instantly. Her hands clutched the edge of the chair. The room suddenly felt smaller. She had feared this… but to hear it confirmed.

    “How did you know, Mom?” Alex asked again, his eyes narrowing, suspicion already shing across

    his face.

    “Mia told me,” Esther said quietly.

    3:09 pm

    55 bvouchers /b

    The change in Alex was instant. His body went rigid. His jaw clenched hard, the vein in his neck throbs. It was always the same. The moment that name left anyone’s lips, he froze, like it wed straight at something buried deep inside him.

    He cleared his throat, trying to mask the reaction, but it was toote. Esther had seen it. She always

    saw it.

    “The girl you just employed?” he asked, his voice low.

    Esther nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

    “The fuck?” Alex’s voice rose sharply, a mixture of confusion and disbelief. “How did she know? She must know more. I want to question her…she could be a spy”

    “What? She’s not,” Esther cut in quickly.

    Alex’s head snapped toward her, his eyes zing. “You’re telling me some girl you just employed happens to know about a deal that was a set up? She’s obviously a spy mom, and definitely knows

    more”

    “She’s not!” Esther’s voice cracked, almost breaking under the pressure, but she didn’t back down. “She uh saw it in a dream”

    Alex stares at her like she’s lost her mind.

    He stepped closer, his expression cold “You want me to believe this person saw this in her dream? Just like that? Do you hear how insane that sounds? You know that’s not possible mom”

    But Esther held his gaze “Some things don’t need exnation, Alex. Some things are too spiritual to understand”

    Alex stared at her like she had grown three heads. His disbelief was written all over his face. “Spiritual?” he repeated, the word dripping with sarcasm. He tilted his head like he was making sure he heard right.

    He reached out and ced his hand on her forehead. “Mom, are you feeling okay?”

    “I’m fine,” she said, steadying her voice,

    Alex took a step back, his eyes narrowing once again. He was thinking, calcting…Akex hated things he couldn’t control, he hated things he couldn’t exin…

    “I would like to talk to her,” he said suddenly, his voice dropping low.

    Esther froze

    “What?” she let out, her heart skipping violently.

    “I said I want to talk to her,” Alex repeated “Is she not one of my employees?”

    3:10 pm

    55 vouchers

    Esther’s lips parted, but no words came out. She felt trapped, cornered. Her pulse raced as her mind scrambled for an excuse, for a reason to refuse him, but nothing came. Nothing that wouldn’t raise even more suspicion.

    “She is,”

    “Then I want to talk to her mom”