The Midnight Key

Lucien didn't speak.

He didn't move.

His golden eyes were locked onto Aeris, his entire body rigid with something Rene couldn't quite name.

But she saw it.

The recognition.

The moment Aeris said her name, something inside Lucien had changed.

Nyra noticed too.

"What is it?" she demanded. "Who is she?"

Lucien exhaled slowly, as if choosing his words carefully.

Then, finally, he spoke.

"Aeris was a name erased from history." His voice was low. "A name that should not exist anymore."

Adrian and Adriel exchanged a glance, but neither spoke.

Kieran let out a low whistle. "Well, that's dramatic."

Lucien ignored him. His golden gaze was still locked onto Aeris.

"You were supposed to be gone."

Aeris smiled. "I was."

Rene felt her heart hammering against her ribs.

This wasn't just some stranger.

This woman was someone important. Someone who had been erased.

And she had made Rena.

Lucien exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. "Of course it's you."

Nyra scowled. "Can someone please explain what's going on before I start stabbing things?"

Aeris chuckled softly. "You haven't changed at all, Nyra."

Nyra stiffened. "Don't talk like you know me."

"But I do," Aeris said gently. "I know all of you."

Rene's hands trembled. "How?"

Aeris met her gaze. "Because before I was erased—"

She stepped closer.

"I was your mother."

Everything stopped.

Rene forgot how to breathe.

No.

No, that wasn't possible.

Their parents were dead.

They had always been dead.

Nyra went pale. Her hands shook as she took a step back.

"You're lying."

Aeris' expression softened. "I'm not."

Rene's vision blurred.

Her mother was dead.

She had always been dead.

This wasn't real.

It couldn't be real.

But then—

Rena, small and unshaken, looked up at Aeris.

And she spoke.

"I remember you."

Rene's breath caught.

Rena had never spoken of memories before.

Never remembered anything from before she was born.

But now, she did.

And Rene knew.

This was real.

This was the truth.

Their mother was alive.

And she had made Rena.

To Be Continued…