"By a twist of fate... or perhaps something far darker... You were switched by Thessy's mother… with Brenda."
Lana closed her eyes.
She inhaled deeply, forcing herself to remain calm, though her heartbeat had already begun to quicken.
But Lucian wasn't done.
"There's something worse," he said.
Her eyes snapped open. "Thessy and your lives… are connected."
For a moment, silence swallowed the room.
Then realization struck.
Lana's expression darkened instantly. 'The contract…'
She looked at Lucian, her voice turning cold.
"You're talking about the life-link contract, aren't you?" she said. "As long as Thessy suffers, I suffer… but if I'm harmed, she feels nothing."
Lucian's eyes flickered with surprise.
"You already know."
He nodded slowly.
Lana fell silent again.
Lucian continued, his tone more cautious now.
"To break the contract, we need something specific... Thessy's hair. The amount required depends on how long the connection between you two has existed."
