The silence between them was unbearable.

Elena stood by the window, her back turned to him, arms wrapped tightly around herself. The weight of everything was crushing her—her family’s betrayal, the truths Xavier had hidden, and now the revelation about who she really was. Nothing felt real anymore.

“You knew,” she whispered, her voice so low it barely reached him. “You knew who I was from the beginning.”

Xavier didn’t answer immediately. He remained still, his jaw tense, his hands clenched at his sides. “Yes,” he finally said. “I knew.”

Her breath hitched. “And you never told me?”

“I wanted to,” he said, stepping forward. “But every time I tried,...