DAGON MANSION

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE: CONFESSIONS

The morning light filtered softly through the tall windows of Dagon Mansion, gilding the breakfast table in warm gold. Yet warmth meant little — tension clung to the air like mist over a graveyard lake.

Ryan and Theolinda sat close, exchanging quiet smiles as he passed her the jam. Their ease with one another was intimate, natural... painful.

Across the table, Mia's stomach twisted.

Why does it hurt like this?

The sight of them wasn't merely jealousy — it was loss.

Scarlett's laughter broke the silence, bright and pure.

"Today is the happiest day ever! Daddy's home!"

Ryan lifted his daughter onto his lap, holding her like a miracle he refused to lose again. Mia watched, shame burning under her ribs.

Am I jealous of my own child? God — what's wrong with me?

A knock thundered through the mansion.

"Police! Open the door!"

Time froze.

Ryan lowered Scarlett gently to the floor, voice a whisper meant only for her heart. "Go with Mommy. Stay behind her."

Brisa swept Ryan's plate into the dishwasher, hands trembling but efficient. Theolinda moved to the door, composure settling over her like armor forged long before this moment.

Detectives entered. Questions. Cold eyes. Searching boots.

The family stood motionless, united by fear.

Hidden behind his old room, Ryan waited in silence, breath held like a sinner in a cathedral. Memories drifted through the hidden passage — youthful rebellion, toxic thrills, dark magic whispered like poison into his veins.

And then Mia, not a vice, but salvation — not temptation, but the one force he truly believed could redeem him.

He pressed his fingertips to the wall, grounding himself.

For her, he would face fire.

For her, he would tear down the veil between worlds.

The officers left. Relief flooded the halls like breath after drowning.

Later — a café, quiet and sunwashed.

Mia's voice trembled. "I'm ashamed. Today... I was jealous of Scarlett. A child. My own daughter. What kind of person feels that?"

Randolf didn't flinch. "Someone who loves so deeply she's breaking under it."

Mia let out a fractured breath. "I need help. When this is over... I'll see a therapist."

Randolf stirred his coffee, thoughtful. "Love is a force. It heals, yes — but it can also wound. The question isn't whether you feel too much, Mia. It's whether that love turns you cruel."

"It won't," she whispered.

"I know," he said softly. "That's why I trust you."

While Scarlett played in her room, Ryan spoke quietly with Xena.

"I'm glad you have Brisa. She's... extraordinary."

"She is," Xena agreed. "So... how does it feel? Loving two women?"

Ryan sighed. "I'm not with two women. Theolinda is my wife."

"Don't lie to yourself. You never left Mia behind."

Ryan's voice lowered, rough with truth. "I will save her. Because I love her. Because loving her is the part of me that survived everything."

Xena looked at him — not as daughter to father, but soul to soul.

"You've changed," she murmured. "You carry the weight now."

"I do."

A quiet confession.

"And sometimes it crushes me."

Xena squeezed his hand. "Redemption isn't clean, Ryan. It leaves scars."

His voice cracked. "I love you, Xena. Even if—"

"Even if I'm still learning," she finished. "I know."

They embraced — hesitant, fragile, necessary.

Later, in hushed Spanish, Ryan spoke with Brisa.

"Tomé una decisión."

Brisa froze. "No puede ser. Eso es... morir."

"Tal vez," he said quietly. "Pero no importa."

"¡Sí importa!" Tears threatened. "Tu vida importa."

"Si el sacrificio es necesario... lo haré."

His eyes burned with both fear and resolve.

"Ya sé con quién quiero estar, si vivo."

"¿Quién?"

He leaned in and whispered the name — a confession softer than breath, heavier than destiny.

Brisa said, "I knew it. I knew it was her."