Chapter 93. My Mother's Truth

Rae:

"Rae." Eliza calls looking up from the documents still spread across the coffee table, one brow raised.

“Should we tell S?”

I shake my head. “He has his own baggage to shove down. I can’t add mine to his. Not yet.”

She studies me for a moment. Then nods.

I head upstairs. The ache in my bones isn't from exhaustion—it's the kind of weight that sets in when you’ve stayed silent too long. The shower scalds me, but I don’t turn the heat down. I just stand there, hands braced against cold tile, letting the water rinse everything except what I need gone.

When I come back down, Eliza’s already by the door, keys in hand, lips pressed in a thin line. Waiting.

I glance toward the dining table.

Just Kieran. And Ryan, chained and silent with a plate in front of him like some sick joke. S isn’t there.

Something in my chest pinches.

I grab a croissant and a piece of fruit, nodding toward Eliza. “I’ll eat in the car.”

We drive i