Chapter 404. Why Do You Still Want Me?

Apphia’s POV

I feel it first in my chest—a sharp, sudden stab that steals the air from my lungs. It’s not physical pain, not entirely, but something deeper, something that reaches straight into my heart and twists. For years, my father believed my mother had betrayed him, that she had been unfaithful, that I was living proof of her supposed treachery. The lie had festered and poisoned everything it touched. Now, hearing Amir speak, hearing the truth unfold piece by piece, I realize just how cruel and foolish that belief was.

My mother loved my father. She loved our little family. She loved us with a devotion so fierce it bordered on worship. The idea that she would ever betray that love is laughable—and devastating all at once.

“It took years,” Amir continues, his voice steady, almost clinical, as if he’s discussing a research project instead