Author's POV
Alistair tried to keep himself from saying more… He had already said enough, but Melissa… she clearly wasn't done.
"What? Why are you dragging Mother into this?" she snapped, her voice laced with fake fury. "Say what you want about me, call me a bad sister if that makes you feel better… But don't you dare accuse Mother of—"
"Really?" Alistair interrupted her performance.
His eyes were dark with disbelief. "She might be a good mother to you, Melissa… but not to us, especially to Sera."
Melissa flinched, but recovered quickly. "Did she tell you that?" she asked, grasping for control of the situation, after all, that was what she wanted.
But Alistair didn't budge. His next words were even colder and firmer.
"She didn't need to."
He took a breath, his jaw tight as he forced the words out. "Anyone with a pair of eyes could see it. You know what she deserved, Melissa? Everything in the world, every ounce of love. But what did she get?"
