The words landed.
"Your daughter-in-law."
For a second, the room didn't move. Time seemed to suspend itself, holding its breath.
Then Nina choked. It wasn't graceful. It wasn't subtle. One second she was breathing normally, the next she was coughing hard, her body jerking forward as if the air itself had turned traitor.
"—what?" she tried, but the word came out broken, swallowed by another violent cough. Her hand flew to her chest, eyes watering instantly. Her throat burned, and she couldn't tell if it was from the shock or the actual choking.
Across the room, Lucas went completely still. His fork stopped halfway to his mouth, suspended in disbelief.
Then slowly, very slowly, he turned his head toward Axel. The look on his face said everything without a single word needing to pass his lips.
'Are you out of your mind?'
Ethan froze mid-bite, his small hand clutching his fork as he watched the chaos unfold.
