Livia couldn't breathe. The world around her seemed to fade into a distant hum, as if every sound and breath had been swallowed by the single, devastating truth echoing in her ears.
Her mother — her mother — had just confessed.
"No…" she whispered, voice trembling, eyes wide with disbelief as she shook her head over and over.
"No… you're lying. You didn't… you wouldn't…"
Her knees felt weak, and the cold marble floor beneath her seemed to sway as her heart pounded painfully against her chest.
She staggered a step forward, eyes glistening with tears as they locked on the familiar woman standing at the center of the hall — the same woman who used to cradle her after nightmares, who used to hum lullabies until she fell asleep.
"Why?" Livia's voice cracked, her breath hitching between sobs as she clasped her trembling hands together. "Why would you do that to me? Why, Mother? Why?"
