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CHAPTER 198
~Valerie's POV~
I wasn't ready to let anyone know about the mistake I made.
It wasn't just about guilt—it was deeper than that.
It was fear. Doubt. Shame.
The kind that sinks its claws into your bones and whispers all the worst-case scenarios until your stomach knots in on itself.
If no one from my family had ever told me I had powers—if they'd gone as far as to hide it from me—then that could only mean one thing: revealing it would do more harm than good.
I shook my head slowly, my gaze fixated on the clean, white sheets covering me. "We can't," I whispered. "We cannot make them worry any more than they should."
"True," Solstice agreed with a nod as she came to sit beside me. Her presence had always been a balm to my chaos.
There was silence for a moment, only the faint ticking of the wall clock breaking it.
"Solstice," I finally spoke softly. "Tell me. What was the result for our team? Did we win or…?"