Chapter 156

Lake POV

That didn’t make me feel better. If anything, it made the anxiety worse. What could be so terrible that Ramon couldn’t tell me? What secret was eating him alive from the inside out?

“Mama, look!” Ollie called, pointing at a blue jay that had landed on the fence. “It’s so pretty!”

“Beautiful,” I agreed, forcing a smile.

But inside, I was falling apart. My mate was suffering and wouldn’t let me help. My son was confused and hurt by his father’s rejection. And I was trapped in the middle, trying to hold everyone together while feeling like I was shattering into a thousand pieces.

After about thirty minutes, Rafael emerged from the house. His expression was grim.

“How did it go?” I asked, standing to meet him.

Rafael shook his head. “Not well. Lake, he’s—he’s really struggling. More than I realized. I tried to get him to talk, to open up, but he’s locked down completely. Won’t admit anything’s wrong, won’t accept help, just keeps