Chapter 72
Let Me Take Back All
My mother's face crumpled, not in belief of Lilith's story, but in despair at my silence. To her, it must have looked like a confession. My father's shoulders sagged, the last fragile thread of hope that I could explain this away finally snapping.
"See, Mother?" Lilith said, her triumph sharp as a blade. "She was lying. She has nothing."
"Please, Just… give me time," I whispered.
The words scraped my throat raw. They sounded weak even to me.
Lilith pounced instantly, her eyes widening in mock alarm. "Time to do what? To make a fake certificate? To print something and wave it in Mother's face?"
She turned to our mother, her voice dripping with pity. "You can't let her fool you again, Mother. She'll only dig herself deeper."
The accusation settled like another stain. In their eyes, I wasn't just a liar now, I was a potential fraud.
There was only one weapon left to me.
The truth.
And using it felt like turning a knife on myself.
