Just then, a familiar voice echoed from behind her.
“Lyria,” Massie said gently as she stepped onto the porch, returning from the grocery store. Her eyes fell on Alexander—tired, nervous, holding those daisies like a shield.
He opened his mouth, but Massie raised her hand. “Alex, I’ve forgiven you. Not for your sake, but for mine. But that doesn’t mean I’m letting you back in.”
“I just want to see Lyria,” he whispered.
Massie’s gaze hardened. “Then start by showing her that you’ve changed. That you’re capable of choosing her this time, not your mother’s control.”
Lucia watched from the distance that had grown between them, clutching the curtains of her window like they might hold her broken world together. Her plan to ‘save’ her son had left her utterly alone. She thought destroying Massie would bring her son closer. Instead, it only freed Massie and pushed Alexander—and everyone else—away.
Lesson:
Control disguised as love isn’t love at all. Meddling in others’ lives to serve your ego will only isolate you. The bridges Lucia burned were never hers to rebuild—and some people, like Massie and Lyria, rise even stronger from the ashes.
