"He didn't even look at me," Ivan whispered, sinking to the floor, his back sliding down the wall. "Not once. Like I'm already buried."
His body trembled as he continued. "Grandfather—he—he gave him a title above me, above all of us, and I—I can't—" He choked, smashing his fists into the stone floor.
The queen's gaze darted to him, her eyes flickering with a mother's pain before twisting back into fury.
"Don't you say that!" she roared. "You're my grandson—my heir! Julian's nothing but Regina's filth, and your grandfather's lost his damn mind!"
She stumbled to the window, pounding her fists against the frame until the glass shuddered. "I should've seen it—I should've stopped her years ago! Strangled her, poisoned her—anything! And now he's—he's—"
She broke down, clawing at her face, her eyes heavy with unshed tears. "He has killed us, Hallie! My own husband—he has murdered us all!"
