Chapter 63

• "I should have never trusted you," I said, the words a bitter poison in my mouth as I stared at Kemi. My voice trembled, not from fear, but from the weight of betrayal that crushed me like a ton of bricks. The truth had spilled out, unraveling everything. But it wasn’t just the secret of John, my half-brother, that had shattered me—it was the realization that I had been living in a world of illusions. A world where the people I loved most had lied to me. And that betrayal… it cut deeper than anything.
• Kemi's face was stone, but there was something in her eyes—a flicker of regret?—that made me hesitate, just for a second. I couldn’t afford to second-guess myself now, though. Not when everything had come crashing down so quickly.
• She took a slow step forward, her voice calm but carrying a weight I couldn’t ignore. "Cole, you need to understand that I never meant for any of this to happen. I was trying to protect you, trying to protect all of us."