Chapter 42 - The Locket's True Meaning
My father exhaled a long, shaky breath and stepped aside. Lily was fast asleep on the cot, clutching a stuffed bear, completely oblivious to the war that had just been fought and won above her head.
"She slept through the whole thing," my father whispered, a grateful smile touching his lips.
"Thank God," I breathed.
My father reached into his pocket and pulled out the tarnished silver locket Lily had found in the garden. He looked at it thoughtfully, tracing the crescent moon engraving with his thumb.
"Do you know why he left this specific locket, Emmy?" he asked quietly.
"I assumed it was just a psychological tactic. A symbol from his old syndicate to scare me."
"It was more than that," my father said softly. "This locket belonged to your mother."
I stared at him in absolute shock. "Mom's? How did Silas get it?"
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"When he and his brother attacked us years ago, the night your mother passed... Silas took it from her as a sick trophy," my father explained, a single tear escaping his eye. "He left it today to prove he could reach us, to mock our loss."
I reached out and gently took the silver locket from my father’s hand. The cold metal now felt entirely different against my skin.
