Hearing this, Lucian patted Rowan on the shoulder. "Well, obviously. That goes without saying."

"No, you don't understand. My intentions are not the same as yours."

Rowan's reaction was sudden and intense, a flash of volatility breaking through his calm demeanor.

Lucian looked at him suspiciously. "What's going on with you, Rowan? Are you hiding something from us?"

Rowan quickly composed himself. "It's nothing."

He slipped effortlessly back into the quiet, brooding persona they were used to.

But Lucian pressed on. "When Lemmy was injured and you were treating her, I heard she woke up halfway through the procedure. When she saw it was you, she was so terrified she scrambled backward and fell right off the operating table."

A visible crack formed in Rowan's stoic facade.

Lucian didn't let up. "Why was she so absolutely petrified of you in that moment? Did you do something to her in the past without us knowing?"

"I didn't."

Rowan's voice came out far too loud. Realizing he had overreacted, he forced a steady breath and lowered his tone. "You all know I only started studying medicine after I moved to The Aether Research Facility. I've been away for years. When exactly would I have had the chance to hurt her?"

Caspian nodded in agreement. "That's true. We can all vouch for that."

Lucian kept his eyes fixed on Rowan. "Then why was Lemmy so scared? Have you ever asked her?"

Rowan's throat bobbed. How could he possibly dare to ask her that?

It was precisely in that terrible moment that a horrifying realization had begun to take root in his mind.

Caspian chimed in, "Orion Everhart whisked her away right after that. When would we have even gotten a chance to ask her privately? She refuses to come home, she won't text us, and she treats us like total strangers."

Every time Caspian walked through the halls of the Langston Estate and saw Lemira's empty bedroom, a crushing weight of guilt settled in his chest.

But knowing how horribly he had treated her in the past, he was far too ashamed to demand anything from her now.

Lucian fell silent. He wasn't the only one burdened by those same regrets.

Rowan spoke quietly. "As long as we put in the work, we can change everything.

Fate is what you make it. Nothing is set in stone."

Because everything was different this time around.

Which meant anything was possible.

Thinking about it this way brought a deeply confident, almost chilling smile to Rowan's face.

Lucian caught the subtle shift in his

brother's expression. A flicker of deep unease washed over him. There was something about Rowan's smile that made the fairs, on the back of his neck stand up.

A short while later, Lemira stepped out of the hospital room. Amanda still didn't know she had been poisoned.

Lemira figured it was entirely up to Orion to decide when and how to break that news to his mother.

As she stepped into the hallway, she noticed the clear divide. Orion and Thaddeus stood on one side, while Rowan and his brothers stood on the other.

They were standing distinctly apart, the tension palpable.

When Lemira appeared, all eyes shifted to her.

She walked right down the middle and looked at Orion. "Her mental state is decent for now. I didn't mention the poison."

Orion understood her reasoning instantly. "We'll tell her once we have a solid treatment plan ready."

Finding out she was poisoned, and that her closest friend was the one holding the vial, would be a

devastating double blow.

easily shatter a person count.

to fight.

Lemira nodded in agreement. It was the smartest approach.

She then turned to Rowan. "Can she be cured? Will there be permanent complications?"

"She can be cured, but the process will be highly complex. Judging by her condition, she's been

accumulating this toxin for a very. long time. Rebuilding her damaged organ function will require an extensive recovery period. And there is always a chance she won't fully regain what she lost. I can't guarantee anything yet."

Lemira exhaled a breath she didn't realize she was holding and offered a small

smile. "As long as there's a treatment, that's what matters."

Her greatest fear was that it was already too late.

Catching her smile, Rowan froze for a split second. "That's the first time you've smiled at me," he murmured.

Lemira lowered her gaze, ignoring the comment. "How complicated is the treatment? What do you need us to prepare?"