Chapter 79

The Mirror Room

The next morning, they checked into a secluded estate in the Cotswolds for a quiet honeymoon—with the baby, of course. It wasn't the usual kind of escape, but nothing about Lex and Rhea had ever been typical.

The suite had vintage charm—stone walls, ivy-clad windows, and most curious of all, a large antique mirror above the fireplace. Rhea stared at it for a long while as Lex played with the baby nearby.

"That mirror," she said, "feels familiar."

Lex glanced at it. "From before?"

She nodded. "Back when I was Muri... I used to dream of mirrors. They were always watching. Sometimes they opened."

He didn't flinch. "Do you still dream of them?"

"Not since I met you."

Silence fell, not heavy, but curious.

Lex walked to the mirror, examining it. "You don't think it's—"

"No," she interrupted. "It's just a mirror now."

But even as she said it, something flickered behind her eyes. She stood up, approached it, and for a moment, saw her reflection split in two—one side the woman she used to be, the other the mother and wife she was becoming.

She reached out, touched the cool glass. "This time," she whispered, "I choose not to run."

Lex stood behind her, holding their daughter. The mirror reflected the three of them.

Whole.