I swallowed hard, watching her stillness like it might turn to stone.
"There's… more," I said, almost afraid of the words I was about to speak. "I didn't tell you everything about Selena because… I don't even know how to explain it without sounding insane."
Marie turned toward me, slowly. Her face was unreadable now—blank in that dangerous, quiet way she got when she was fighting to stay in control.
I took a breath. "She's not dead."
The air between us stilled like the world had pressed pause.
"She was taken." Everyone thought she died—hell, I thought she died. But my father… he knew something. He never told me exactly what happened, just said it was a warning. A message to him. And for a long time, I believed she was gone, because that was easier than chasing ghosts."
I looked down at my hands, shame burning under my skin.
"But about some weeks ago, I found out the truth. She's alive. Somewhere. Hidden. Maybe even in hiding from us. From this whole twisted legacy."
