"Don't you see that I'm the one who cared about you?!"
The words tore from her throat, raw and trembling, cracking under the weight of everything she had buried for years.
Her voice—usually measured, controlled—was wild now, hysterical.
"I was the one who stayed!" she cried, her body trembling as she stepped closer. "I was the one who watched over you! I was the one who made sure you were never alone!"
Her breath hitched, her heart pounding against her ribs like it wanted to tear free.
"And her? What did she ever do? She just took! Took and took and took—until there was nothing left of you!"
Her silver-blue eyes burned with something desperate, something dangerous.
Madeleina's breath came out in ragged gasps, her entire body trembling as the dam inside her shattered completely.
There was no composure left.
No grace.
No carefully measured words.
Only raw, unfiltered rage.
