Lance''s eyes stayed locked on Cameron. "Do you know why I came to see you?"


    Roughly," Cameron replied.


    "Then why don''t you tell me," Lance sald.


    "I''d rather not," Cameron answered.


    Lance paused, watching her. Then his lips curled faintly. "You''ve got quite the personality."


    Cameron didn''t respond.


    "If you''d grown up in the Yates Manor," La


    "Noted," Cameron said tly.


    went on, "with that attitude, you would''ve gotten smacked around a lot."


    Lance tilted his head, trying to read her. "Are you always this quiet?".


    "I just don''t have anything to say to you."


    Lance was speechless.


    "Lance," Cameron said, her voice calm but firm, "you''vee all this way. Let''s


    stop dancing around it. What do you actually want?"


    "You already know, don''t you?" he said.


    Cameron didn''t answer.


    She nced at him, eyes unreadable. "In that case, you can leave."


    Lance frowned. "What''s that supposed to mean?"


    "Exactly what it sounds like."


    "You''re noting with me? Do you have any idea what it did


    our mom,


    thinking her baby was stillborn?"


    Cameron was silent for a long moment before she finally said, "And you think that was my fault?"


    Cameron was right. She had no say in any of it, for she was just as much a victim. And at the end of the day, all Lance had were suspicions.


    The real reason he''de was to ask Cameron to take a DNA test with him.


    He needed proof. "Cameron," Lance said, his voice steady now, "everything points to the fact that you might be my biological brother, But I need something concrete to confirm it. Would you agree to a DNA test?"


    "No," Cameron replied.


    "What?" Lance looked genuinely stunned.


    He hadn''t expected a t-out rejection.


    "You''re not even willing to find out if we''re rted?" he asked.


    "Lance," Cameron said, "first of all, ''rted'' is a stretch. There''s no actual proof. Second, I like the way my life is now. I don''t want it disrupted.”


    There was a psychological term for it-tearned helplessness,


    That was what Cameron had grown up with in the Wace household, Martin and Heidi had taught her everything not tey expect from?" came to the idea of familial love, she felt nothing. No longing. No curiosity.


    Lance''s sudden appearance stirred no emotion in her. Not happiness. Not pain. Just indifference.


    She had no interest in knowing these so-called family members.


    ''Ife doesn''t want to disrupt his life? Who turns down the chance to reunite with


    their birth family?'' Lande thought.


    He couldn''t make sense of it.


    Cameron stood. "You should go."


    The message was clear-she was done.


    Lance knew pushing her now would only backfire. So he stood


    She walked him to the door.


    as well.


    Lance looked at her onest time and then said, "Cameron, if you really are my brother... Dad, Mom, Gavin-and me-we''d all be so d you''re still


    alive."


    Cameron''s expression didn''t shift. Her hand rested on the doorfram


    "We''ll meet again," Lance said.


    Cameron closed the door without replying.


    Inside, Cameron leaned against the door and let out a quiet breath.


    "Goodbye."


    ''Dad, Mom, Gavin, and Lance... So Gavin is the big brother. The Yates family sounds like a whole, functioning family. Four people... They probably have a good life together.''


    Whatever happened in the past was over now.


    She had no intention of disturbing that.


    Lance left Noble Vista with a weight in his chest.


    Beforeing here, he''d imagined a dozen ways Cameron might react.


    Excitement. Tears. Anger. Maybe even a bitter confrontation.


    But this? He hadn''t expected indifference.