"As expected. Mom has finally made her move," Kathrine said quietly.
She stared at her phone for a second longer before tossing it onto the couch beside her. Anna’s ssage was still glowing in her mind—short, urgent, and far too familiar.
Mom is here. Be careful. I’ll distract her.
Kathrine let out a slow breath and leaned back, her eyes closing briefly.
"So she’s really watching her," she murmured. "Of course she is."
Ethan, who had been standing near the window, turned around slowly. It didn’t take him long to connect the dots. He hadn’t even needed to ask how Anna knew—he was certain of it.
"Anna saw her first, didn’t she?" he said.
Kathrine opened her eyes and gave a faint nod. "She always does. She’s been noticing things long before any of us. I just never wanted to admit it."
Ethan hesitated, then said carefully, "I always thought you didn’t like Anna. Or at least... that you both weren’t that close."
Kathrine gave a small, bitter laugh. "That’s what everyone thinks. Even Anna thought so."
She sat up slowly, her fingers twisting together in her lap. For a mont, she didn’t speak, as if choosing between too many thoughts at once.
"I regret not opening up to her earlier," she finally said. "So much. I only realized what she ant to when things started falling apart. When I had no one left to trust."
Her voice softened, turning inward.
"All these years, I kept telling myself I was protecting her by staying distant. That if I didn’t get too involved, she wouldn’t get dragged into my ss. But the truth is... I was just afraid."
"Afraid of what?" Ethan asked gently.
Kathrine swallowed. "Afraid of facing the guilt."
She looked down at her hands.
"I always believed I was the reason Anna never got the love she deserved. The real kind. The kind a child is supposed to grow up with. Mom and Dad were always too busy controlling everything—my studies, my image, my future. And I let them. I followed every rule. I beca exactly what they wanted."
Her eyes darkened.
"And Anna... she beca the afterthought."
Ethan’s expression shifted.
"I thought if I stayed perfect, if I didn’t cause trouble, then maybe they’d ease up on her. But it never worked that way. Instead, she grew up watching get praised while she was barely noticed. I convinced myself it wasn’t my fault. But deep down, I knew better."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"I was right there. I saw how they treated her differently. I saw how she was dismissed, ignored, treated like she was always ’too much’ or ’not enough’ at the sa ti. And I did nothing."
Ethan sat down beside her, listening.
"I carried that guilt for years," Kathrine continued. "Every ti she smiled at , every ti she tried to be close, I felt like I didn’t deserve it. Like I was stealing sothing that should have been hers."
She let out a shaky breath.
"And now... now I find out I was being used too. Just in a different way."
Ethan frowned. "Used?"
Kathrine’s lips curved into a hollow smile. "All this ti, I thought I was smarter than them. That I wasn’t like Mom and Dad. That I wasn’t manipulating anyone."
She shook her head slowly.
"But I was convenient. That’s what I was. Convenient to their plans. Convenient to their image. Convenient to their control."
Her gaze lifted, eting Ethan’s.
"And the worst part? I beca a culprit just like them. Maybe not intentionally—but I still played my role. I still benefited from the system that hurt Anna. I still stood there, silent, while she paid the price."
Ethan reached for her hand instinctively, but Kathrine didn’t seem to notice.
"Even now, knowing what they’ve done... knowing they altered her mories, used her life like a chess piece..." her voice cracked, "I can’t stop thinking—if I had been braver back then, if I had protected her instead of myself... would any of this have happened?"
Silence filled the room.
"I always thought Anna was strong because she was born that way," Kathrine whispered. "But she’s strong because she had to be. Because no one ever really chose her. Not fully."
Ethan squeezed her hand gently. "But she’s choosing you now."
Kathrine blinked, her eyes stinging.
"She is," she admitted. "Even after everything. Even after knowing I failed her. She still warned . Still protected . Still trusted ."
Her voice broke.
"And I didn’t even deserve it."
Ethan shook his head. "You’re not your parents, Kathrine. The fact that you regret it... that you’re hurting over it... ans you’re already different."
Kathrine looked at him, conflicted. "But regret doesn’t erase damage. It doesn’t give her back the childhood she lost. Or the love she never received."
"No," Ethan said softly. "But it gives her sothing else. The truth. And soone who finally sees her."
Kathrine closed her eyes.
"For the first ti," she said quietly, "I don’t want to be perfect anymore. I just want to be honest. With her. With myself."
She picked up her phone again, staring at Anna’s last ssage.
I’ll handle Mom. Don’t let her see you.
A sad smile tugged at her lips.
"She’s still protecting ," Kathrine murmured. "Even now."
Ethan watched her carefully. "What are you going to do?"
Kathrine’s expression hardened, resolve replacing the guilt.
"This ti," she said, "I won’t let her stand alone. Not again. Not ever.This ti I will make sure to expose the truth that my parents tried to keep from us"
Because for the first ti in her life, Kathrine finally understood— Being used didn’t make her innocent. But choosing differently now could finally make her free.
And this ti she would make sure she won’t do the sa mistake she did in her past life.
’I am sorry for what you went through because of Anna, but I promise to not repeat the sa mistake and trust the sa people again’
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