Chapter 122: Shadows of War

Thelma Zane's POV The southern Duke looked at me with a mix of despair and hope, his tear-filled eyes reflecting the fragile vulnerability of a child. For a moment, I felt the weight of his sorrow, but I turned my head away, reluctant to let my emotions interfere with the truth I needed to deliver. “If Adele didn’t care about you,” I began firmly, “why would she risk everything to acknowledge you as her father? Why would she endure the pain of your indifference, the anguish of unrequited love, if she didn’t yearn for your acceptance?” My words seemed to strike a chord, and Lennon’s face contorted in silent agony. “She yearns for love,” I continued, “for a family that feels whole, for the warmth of a kind and devoted father. Whatever she endured in the past, it’s clear she hasn’t found peace. Her actions scream of resistance, of fear, and of a desperate attempt to escape the shadows of her past. “When Adele shouted at you, each word was laced with a longing for familial