Ethan was playing his dead mother’s song when his stepmother dragged him off the piano bench.

My heart hammered, but I kept my voice steady.

“It is all true. Every word. Liam knew who you were. He knew you were family. And he let you believe you were equals. He let you suffer while he lived in luxury. He used your anger to steal what belonged to us—and planned to keep it all for himself. Just like he kept the truth hidden from you.”

Kael was silent for so long I thought he had hung up. Then his voice came again, lower now, broken.

“He said we were robbed. He said they took everything from both of us. He promised we would stand equal.”

“He lied,” I said. “He adopted you into his war. He made you his weapon. And all along… he was laughing at you. You were never his partner, Kael. You were his dog.”

A sharp, heavy silence.

“Where did you get these records?”

“Claire found them years ago. She knew Liam’s secret. She kept proof of everything. Including the adoption papers showing Liam was adopted by a wealthy family while you were sent from home to home. He chose his fortune and never shared it.”

Kael didn’t speak again. The line went dead.

I stood holding the phone, trembling. Had I reached him? Or had I only made him more dangerous?

Two days passed with no contact. No threats. No sightings. The silence stretched thin and sharp.

Then on the third evening, the news broke.