The silence in the lair stretched long after Rea had stormed out. No one spoke. No one even breathed too loudly.
Rina stared at the now-frozen screen, the image of baby Rea still glowing faintly. Celeste stood motionless, her hands curled into fists at her sides.
Jaxon finally broke the silence, his voice low. "Well. That went well."
Aster shot him a glare. "Shut up."
Christy, still watching the door Rea had disappeared through, crossed her arms. "You know…" she mused, her voice oddly light despite the tension. "This whole situation is insane, but I can't say I'm shocked."
Celeste turned to her, her expression tight. "What do you mean?"
Christy met her gaze without hesitation. "I mean, you knew something was wrong. You knew from the start."
Celeste's face barely flickered. "I—"
"Oh, don't even try to lie to me," Christy interrupted with a dry laugh. "You think I forgot?" She tilted her head. "You tried to tell Mina about it. Years ago."
Eric straightened slightly. "Mina?"
Christy nodded. "Yeah. After she found out she was pregnant, Celeste was acting weird. I remember it clear as day. She kept saying something wasn't right, that something had happened before Rea was born."
Jaxon frowned. "What are you saying?"
Christy turned back to Celeste, her expression unreadable. "You were injected, weren't you?"
The words sent a chill through the room.
Celeste stiffened, her eyes darkening.
Christy leaned against the table, eyes narrowing. "Collaway did something to you when you were pregnant. And you knew it."
Celeste's hands clenched at her sides. "I—"
"You knew," Christy repeated, her voice cutting. "And you didn't tell Rea."
Celeste's jaw tightened. "It wasn't that simple."
"Oh, of course not," Christy said, throwing up her hands. "It's never simple with you."
Jaxon stepped between them. "Hey. Maybe calm down?"
Christy ignored him. "You tried to tell Mina, didn't you? I remember you calling her, trying to explain—"
Celeste's eyes flashed. "And I stopped."
The room fell silent again.
Celeste exhaled slowly, pressing a hand to her temple. "I tried," she admitted. "I tried to tell her something was wrong. But I didn't have proof. And I was…" She hesitated, shaking her head. "I was scared."
Christy scoffed. "You? Scared?"
Celeste's gaze lifted, sharp and unwavering. "Yes."
That single word carried weight.
For the first time, Christy hesitated.
Celeste continued, her voice quieter now. "I knew something happened. I remember being taken to a facility—I thought it was just routine. But there were injections, tests. I wasn't awake for all of it. And then… then I had Rea."
She swallowed hard. "And she was different."
Jaxon frowned. "Different how?"
Celeste's expression softened slightly, a flicker of something unreadable crossing her face. "She never got sick. Not once. She healed faster than she should have. She learned too quickly, adapted too well."
Eric exhaled. "So they changed her before she was even born."
Celeste nodded slowly. "Yes."
Christy's voice was quieter now, less biting. "And you never told her."
Celeste closed her eyes for a moment. "How could I?"
Jaxon ran a hand through his hair, muttering a curse under his breath.
Aster, who had been silent this whole time, finally spoke. His voice was calm. Too calm. "We should go after her."
Celeste hesitated. "She needs time."
Aster's jaw tightened. "She's alone. And she just found out her whole life was a lie."
Christy gave him a knowing look. "You're worried."
Aster shot her a glare. "No, I just don't want her doing something stupid."
Christy smirked. "Uh-huh."
Celeste let out a slow breath. "She'll come back."
Aster didn't look convinced.
Jaxon folded his arms. "And if she doesn't?"
Celeste's gaze was steady. "Then I'll go find her myself."