Another silence stretched between them.
The thunder outside rolled again, vibrating faintly through the mansion walls.
Kathrine finally spoke, her voice softer now.
"I still should have told you."
Her fingers tightened around the edge of the curtain.
"You had the right to know the truth."
Ethan turned his head slightly, looking at her for the first time since he had entered the room.
There was exhaustion in his eyes.
But there was also something else.
Acceptance.
"If you had told me earlier," he said quietly, "I wouldn't have believed you."
Kathrine frowned slightly.
Ethan gave a small, bitter smile.
"I was too blinded by the image I had of him."
His eyes lowered briefly.
"To me, he was always the man who built everything… neglecting his family all along"
His voice faltered for a moment before he continued.
"So if someone had told me that he was capable of destroying lives… I would have defended him without hesitation."
