"I didn't know," she finally whispered, her voice thin. "I swear—I didn't know any of this."
"I believe you," Cassian said gently. "None of this is your fault."
But Lyra wasn't sure she believed herself.
The shame that swelled in her chest was suffocating. Not because she bore guilt for his actions—but because a part of her had always longed for his approval. She always tried to prove her worth to a man who had no intention of ever seeing it.
And now, that man had not only betrayed his people—he had placed her right in the center of a silent war.
"I should've seen it," she murmured, her voice trembling. "I should've—"
Cassian reached out, cupping her cheek with a tenderness that caught her off guard. "You saw what he let you see. That's what manipulators do, Lyra. They twist the truth so well, even the brightest minds start to question themselves."
She leaned into his touch, her eyes stinging.
