Lilith slowly rubbed her cheek against his chest, saying nothing, just listening. And that made him continue.
"So most of the ti... it was just and her. That old woman."
His voice dropped lower.
"Bria."
She could feel his body tense, just slightly.
"She didn’t raise . She... broke . Tried to shape into this cold, perfect heir. Locked in dark rooms for hours when I made a mistake. Once, I got a 98 instead of 100... she didn’t let out for a whole night."
Lilith’s fingers curled softly over his shirt.
His voice was steady, but his eyes... weren’t.
"She made believe love was a weakness. That emotions were noise. That if I cried, I’d be worthless. So I stopped crying. I stopped smiling."
A pause.
"...Until you ca."
Lilith’s breath hitched. Her lips parted, but nothing ca out.
She didn’t have to reply.
Because instead, she reached up, cupped the side of his face gently, and pressed her lips to the corner of his eye—
Right where the pain had once lived.
His breathing slowed, and his arms wrapped tighter around her.
His voice shifted. Deeper now. He wasn’t whispering in warmth anymore...He was digging through shadows.
Lilith could feel it.
The change in his breathing. The tightness in his grip. The coldness pressing against her spine.
He was rembering sothing darker.
"There’s one thing," Alexander said, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. "I’ve never told anyone. Not even Ray... not even Gray."
Lilith remained still.
His next words ca slowly, like blades being drawn.
"I was eleven."
He swallowed.
"I got sick. Just fever. Nothing serious. But I missed two business tutoring sessions. And that made her furious."
His jaw clenched under her fingers.
"She told the servants not to feed until I stood and bowed perfectly three tis."
A pause.
"I tried. But I kept falling. I couldn’t even lift my head."
Lilith’s brows slowly furrowed, but she didn’t interrupt.
His voice cracked, almost unnoticeably. "Then she dragged out into the backyard. It was winter. Cold. I didn’t have shoes on. She poured a bucket of cold water on . Said she’d teach what ’discipline’ really ant."
His body trembled slightly at the mory...though his face stayed calm.
"I was locked outside for two hours. Shivering. Soaking wet. I passed out."
Lilith tightened her grip on his hand.
"When I woke up... I wasn’t in a bed. I was in the basent. A dark one. No lights. Just the scent of oil, mold, and... sothing rotten." His fingers curled into fists now.
"She told I could scream if I wanted. Said no one would hear. And if I dared to cry again in public, she’d cut my tongue out so I’d never embarrass the Carter family."
Lilith’s breath caught.
"And you know what she left with in that dark room?"
His voice was almost hollow now.
"A dead bird. One that I used to feed in the garden. She killed it and placed it right in front of . Said: This is what happens to weaklings who don’t learn fast enough."
Lilith’s heart clenched, her body frozen in place.
Not because she was afraid.
But because she was burning inside.
That little boy. Alone. Freezing.
Locked in darkness... beside death.
No wonder he shattered.
No wonder he created Ray. And Alexander. And Gray.
No wonder Darkness was born.
She moved her hand to his face again and kissed his forehead so gently, it was like a promise.
"You’re not alone anymore," she whispered. "And I’m never letting you go."
For a mont, he didn’t answer.
Then, his arms pulled her in again—
Not like a lover this ti.
But like a boy who had waited all his life to feel safe in soone’s arms.
"I don’t know... I don’t, Lili," Alexander murmured, his voice thick with sothing too heavy to na. "There’s more. So much more..."
His fingers slid under her waist as he pulled her close.
"The things Nyom and Bria did... they’re the nightmares I can’t wake up from," he whispered, forehead gently resting against hers. "As much as I suffered... Gray suffered. Darkness suffered more. And he—" his voice faltered, "—he rembers Nyom Brown. The things we can’t even speak of..."
Lilith’s eyes searched his, but he wasn’t finished.
"We tried to protect Ray. All of us. His innocence, his smile... it was the only pure thing we had. And we guarded it like life."
Suddenly, he shifted their position—
His hands firmly under her, he flipped her with ease, now hovering above her.
Lilith blinked, surprised, as her back hit the sheets, and he tangled his legs with hers, lips brushing her collarbone as he leaned in closer, his warmth caging her in.
"You have no idea..." he whispered, voice low near her skin. "The way you punished that old woman... you didn’t just save Ava or Nova. You healed . My inner child. The part of that cried in locked rooms."
Lilith chuckled softly, amused by his words.
"Are you sure?" she teased, her tone playful, a dark glint flashing in her eyes. "Many people think I saved her. That I’m too kind..."
He lifted his head slightly, eting her gaze.
"I know you better than that," he said simply. "Lili... you’ve seen the worst of . Now that you know everything—do you trust ?"
Her expression softened.
"Of course I do," she said, fingers gently stroking his hair.
He didn’t smile. Not this ti. His eyes turned serious.
"We all want to know the truth," he said. "Gray... Ray... Darkness... . All of us. We want to know your truth. Your secrets."
Lilith stared up at him, unmoving.
"My truth?" she echoed. "You really want to hear it?"
"Yes," he said, firm.
She gave a breathless laugh, as if amused by how calmly he was asking.
"Alright," she said, eyes twinkling now. "But tell , Mr. Carter... would you still believe if I said the soul in this body isn’t the original one?"
Alexander froze.
His eyes widened, searching her face to see if she was joking but she wasn’t.
"I’m not the girl who was born here," Lilith continued. "She died... and I replaced her soul."
Alexander didn’t move, didn’t speak.
"This body belonged to soone else. She was weak yet strong. She was scared. She was just a girl with dreams too small for this cruel world. But I—"
Her voice lowered. "I ca from a different realm. A different world."
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