Chapter 224

NATALIE’S POV Violet’s words echoed in my ears. My chest felt heavy as if I couldn’t quite breathe. She looked at me with those calm eyes, but beneath them, I saw the trembling, the hesitation, and the weight of something she had carried far too long. “I need you to listen,” Violet said softly. It sounded like she was almost pleading. “Every time we got close as children, Angus and mom made sure to pull me away from you. They told me you were worthless, that you weren’t fit to stand by me. They poisoned me against you. And I was young. I believed them.” Her voice cracked a little, and for the first time in my life, I saw vulnerability in her. Not the cold, sharp sister who used to sneer at me. But a woman broken by her choices. “I kept you away because they told me to,” she continued. Her tone sounded like it was filled with regret. “They belittled you in front of me, and with time, I… I let it affect me. I never truly hated you, Nat. But I acted like I did. I know I hurt you.” I stare