CHAPTER 224

And that same evening, after the chaos of dinner had finally settled and Aunt Lou had gone to bed, I found myself sitting in the living room with Leon, the two of us in comfortable silence. He had his arm wrapped around me, and I rested my head against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

It was calming, a moment of peace after everything that had happened. But there was still something I needed to tell him—something I had been holding back since my encounter with Regina.

I sat up slightly, pulling away just enough to look at him, my heart racing as I tried to gather the right words. Leon noticed the change in my posture and immediately grew concerned, his eyes scanning my face.

"Margarette? You appeared like you wanted to tell me something, is there something wrong?" he asked, his voice gentle but alert. "You’ve been like that since a moment ago."

I took a deep breath, knowing that what I was about to say would be complicated. Leon had always been protective of me,