Lelo watched the tablet screen from the comfort of her father's study, legs curled under her, a lollipop tucked into her cheek. Her wide eyes didn't blink as Serene screamed at the image of herself in a wedding dress.
"She's crying," Lelo said softly.
Roman glanced at the screen from behind his desk. "Yes."
"Do you think she's starting to remember?"
He took a slow sip of his scotch, eyes never leaving the girl on the screen. "No," he replied. "But she's beginning to believe."
Lelo tilted her head, letting her lollipop roll between her fingers like a toy. "Isn't it the same thing?"
Roman didn't answer.
On the tablet, Serene had dropped to her knees. The video played on loop behind her, the fake wedding's laughter still echoing against the steel walls. Her hands shook as she pressed them against her ears, as if that would shut out the madness.
Lelo smiled. "She's so pretty when she's scared."
Roman finally turned to his daughter. "You understand what this means, don't you, Lelo?"
"That Mama was a liar?"
Roman stood, walking slowly to the screen. "That she fought us. That she killed all her babies. That she almost destroyed this family before it even began."
"But she didn't, Papa," Lelo whispered, fingers curling tighter. "I found her secret. I saved her. Didn't I?"
He crouched in front of her, cupping her chin. "You saved our future, Lelo. You did more than anyone ever has."
She beamed. A pure, satisfied beam. Then her face fell.
"But… she still won't kiss me."
Roman blinked. "What?"
Lelo dropped her gaze. "Every time I try to touch her, or play with her hair, or ask her to brush mine… she flinches. She looks at me like I'm a stranger."
He stood slowly, back stiffening. "That will change."
"How?"
"Pain makes people soft," he said calmly. "But memory… memory is the hammer that shatters the last pieces of resistance."
---
Later that night, Roman walked the silent halls of the estate.
The cage room was quiet now.
Serene hadn't eaten in over 24 hours.
He paused by the glass wall, watching her curled figure on the mattress. She hadn't cried in hours — not openly. But her body trembled in her sleep. Her fists clenched and unclenched. Her lips moved in whispers she didn't hear herself say.
Roman stepped inside.
The sound of the door woke her.
She flinched hard — but didn't move. Not even when his footsteps echoed closer. She simply stared at the wall, eyes bloodshot, skin pale.
"You haven't eaten," he murmured.
She didn't respond.
Roman knelt beside her bed and gently brushed a strand of hair from her face.
"I know it's hard," he said softly. "Having two versions of your life. One where you were free. One where you were loved. But the truth always wins."
Her lips parted. "You're sick."
His expression never changed. "Love makes us all sick."
Serene turned her head away.
Roman leaned closer. "They'll come back tomorrow, your parents. And they'll bring gifts. Wedding gifts. Anniversary gifts. Because now, finally, they understand."
"I'm not married to you."
"You are."
"No—"
He grabbed her face — not hard, not soft. His thumb pressed into her cheekbone, forcing her eyes to meet his.
"You are," he repeated. "Whether you remember it or not."
A single tear slid from her eye.
Roman kissed it from her skin. "Sleep well, my wife."
Then he rose and walked out, leaving the door open just long enough for Lelo to slip in behind him, teddy bear in hand.
---
Lelo crept across the room in silence.
Serene sat up, startled. "Lelo…"
The girl climbed onto the mattress beside her.
"I brought Bernard," she said quietly, holding out the stuffed bear. "He helps me sleep when I'm scared."
Serene hesitated.
Lelo didn't move. Didn't blink. Just held out the bear between them.
Serene took it.
Lelo smiled faintly.
"Papa says you don't remember things because your heart is still cloudy," she said, curling into the side of Serene's mattress. "But it's okay. I remember for both of us."
Serene swallowed. "You shouldn't be here."
"You're my Mama."
"No—"
"You are. The others were mean. They hurt Papa. They made him sad. But you... you make him better."
Serene looked at her, really looked. There was no malice in Lelo's face. Only adoration. Twisted, misplaced, but so real it burned.
"You don't have to be scared anymore," Lelo whispered. "I'll protect you too."
Then she kissed Serene's arm — light, possessive — and curled up beside her, like a cat reclaiming its favorite spot.
Serene didn't sleep that night.
Not because she couldn't.
But because she was starting to realize something far worse than being kidnapped or broken:
They weren't hurting her because they hated her.
They were doing it because they believed it was love.
And that meant they would never, ever stop.
---