Aeris
Their silence stretched too long.
The kind that hangs in the air like storm clouds—thick, electric, waiting to snap.
I stared at them, each one avoiding my eyes now. Ronan's fingers drummed against his knee. Silas chewed the inside of his cheek. Kade's jaw was so tight I thought he might break his own teeth.
That silence said too much.
"Why?" My voice cracked, but I forced it out. "Why are you doing this?"
No one moved.
"Why are you taking care of me?" I snapped, sharper this time. "After years of making my life a living hell, why do you suddenly care if I live or die?"
Still nothing.
And that made my blood boil.
I pushed myself up slightly, wincing at the pull in my side. "Don't just sit there. Say something."
Silas stood first, running a hand through his hair like he didn't know where to start. "It wasn't supposed to go like this."
"Go like what?" I demanded. "You bullying me into a full breakdown? Mission accomplished."
"We weren't trying to break you," Ronan said, low and cold, like he was choking on every word. "We were trying to protect you."
I blinked. Then let out a bitter, humorless laugh. "That's your excuse? Four years of constant humiliation was your twisted version of protection?"
"No," Kade said. Just one word, but it landed like a punch. "Not like that. Not originally."
I glared at him. "Then explain. Because I'm really struggling to connect the dots here."
Ronan finally looked me in the eyes. There was something there—something sharp and wounded.
"You were supposed to stay invisible," he said. "That's what we were told. Keep you away from attention. From people who might be watching."
"Told? By who?"
Silence again.
Figures.
"Someone your father trusted," Silas muttered. "A long time ago."
And just like that, my whole body went still.
"My father?" The words barely made it past my lips. "You knew my father?"
They all stiffened.
Ronan cursed under his breath.
Silas rubbed the back of his neck and finally gave in. "We didn't just know him. He saved our lives."
My heart dropped into my stomach.
I didn't even know what to say. There were too many questions. Too many holes in the fabric of everything I thought was real.
"He died when I was ten," I whispered. "No one ever told me anything. No friends. No family. Nothing."
"We were told to keep our distance," Ronan said. "But to keep eyes on you. Be close. Keep you small."
"Keep me small?" My voice cracked. "Do you hear yourselves?"
"We didn't know what was happening at home," Kade said, stepping forward. "We knew the uncle was dangerous. But we didn't know how bad it really was. If we had—"
"You would've what?" I cut him off. "Stopped? Helped? Apologized?"
Kade's eyes didn't flinch. "Killed him."
Something in his voice made the room go quiet again.
It wasn't said for show. Or for effect.
He meant it.
I felt it in my bones.
And the worst part?
Some small, broken part of me wanted to believe him.