Ella's POV
Sitting in my childhood living room, I feel the weight of the lie pressing down on me like a heavy stone. The familiar smell of lavender from my mother's favorite candles fills the air, making everything feel more intimate, more real than it actually is. I glance at Arec, who sits calmly beside me, his expression neutral, controlled, but I can sense the tension underneath his poised exterior.
I've run through this moment in my head a thousand times, yet now that it's here, the words stick in my throat like jagged glass. My mother, Lucy Davis, is sitting across from us, eyes bright with hope and excitement, completely unaware of the storm that's brewing beneath the surface. She's staring at us, hands clasped, her face glowing with an expectation I know I won't be able to fulfill.
"So, darling, what's the big news?" she asks, her voice laced with joy. "You said it was important."
