The meeting adjourned with the lawyer promising to sort out the details. As I stepped out, Vivien caught up with me. Her demeanor had shifted from disdain to desperation. “Lucian,” she pleaded, “we can work something out.”

I met her gaze, seeing now the fear behind her eyes. “You spent years trying to erase me, Vivien. You can’t fix what you’ve broken.”

Leaving her standing there, I walked away, the weight of years of mistreatment lifting from my shoulders. The path ahead was uncertain, but it was mine to walk.