Jefferson's POV
The word echoed in my mind like a whispered command. Lie.
So I did, not from any sense of honor, but because the alternative would destroy everything. I couldn't tell Elisabeth about the sister stolen from her at birth. I couldn't reveal that this lost sister was my destined mate, the one who could shatter the curse that bound my bloodline. Elisabeth would never accept half-truths or convenient omissions. She would tear apart every secret until our world crumbled.
The lie was meant to shield her, to preserve what we had built together. Yet despite her apparent acceptance of my words, she hadn't spoken since we left Alana's presence.
"Something wrong?" I asked, cutting through the heavy silence.
She startled, pulling her gaze from the passenger window where it had been fixed. Her body shifted restlessly in the seat as she answered, "No, just processing what you said. So my family really did reject your ancestor and trigger this whole curse?"
