Lewis shook his head slowly. "She only hurt you because she wanted to protect me. She tried to stop us from meeting, tried to trade fates. But you were still reborn, and we still found each other. When I realized what she was doing, I told her the bond exchange had failed. She won't come after you again." He reached out and gently messed up my hair. "Besides, everything is different now. The existence of our children changes things."
Something clicked into place. That silver-haired version of me had died alone, with nothing left to hold onto no children, no anchor. Everett and Everly had broken something I once believed was fixed. Maybe fate was never something handed down from above. Maybe it was something you had to grab and reshape yourself.
"Riley, I know I handled this badly. But I truly had no other choice. She's my mother. I hate what she did to you, but I can't treat her like an enemy. If you want to punish me for it, go ahead. I won't argue."
