The evening air was thick with tension as Alaric prepared himself for the conversation he had been dreading for so long. His mother, Maria, had been through so much over the past few days. The emotional rollercoaster of nearly losing Lucy, followed by the miraculous intervention of Morgana, had left Maria exhausted yet hopeful. But Alaric knew that the time had come to tell her the truth—a truth that he had kept hidden for too long.
He took a deep breath and walked down the dimly lit hallway toward the sitting room, where Maria was resting. The mansion, usually a place of warmth and comfort, now felt heavy with the weight of the secrets he was about to reveal. His footsteps echoed softly on the marble floor, a reminder of the gravity of the situation.
