Keith's POV
A weight lifted from my chest. Not all of it, but enough to let me breathe. The secret was out. Now came the consequence.
I watched her face, braced for the storm. The shock of betrayal, the flash of deceit, the hurt we deserved.
Her expression held shock, yes. But not the raw, devastating blow I'd steeled myself against. It was… tempered. Measured. As if she were fitting a puzzle piece she'd already found into its place.
And now we stood before her, transformed. Our black hair gone, replaced by the cheap, dull blonde of our deception. A visible testament to our lie.
Kieran, cleared his throat. "We have an explanation," he began, his voice uncharacteristically hesitant. "For what we did. We understand… we can guess how you must be feeling right now. And we are deeply, truly sorry for it."
We were. But apologies were currency that held no value here. We had traded in deceit, and now we had to pay the price. I kept my eyes on Eleanor, waiting for her judgment.
