CHAPTER 69 — THE LINES THAT CAN NO LONGER BE ERASED
Night stretched endlessly over the Kane mansion, thick and suffocating, as though the sky itself was holding its breath. Elena stood by the window long after Adrian left the room, her reflection faint against the glass—pale, shaken, and no longer innocent.
She didn't cry again.
The tears had already done their damage.
Now there was only a cold, aching clarity settling in her bones.
Her father was alive.
Her marriage was born from secrets.
And the past she buried was clawing its way back with teeth.
The door opened softly behind her.
She didn't turn.
"Marcus wants to see you," Adrian said from the doorway. His voice was controlled, but the strain beneath it was unmistakable.
Elena finally spoke. "Does he know?"
"Yes."
"Everything?"
"Enough," Adrian answered. "He's been part of this longer than either of us wanted."
She nodded slowly, absorbing the weight of that.
"Send him in," she said.
