CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOUR - Secrets in the Silence

"I think... I think we all need some time to process this," Mara said softly. "Maybe we should call it a night." Without waiting for a response, she turned and left the dining room, leaving Cassius and Clarissa alone with the wreckage of their family dinner. As the door closed behind Mara, Cassius and Clarissa sat in stunned silence, the weight of the evening's revelations hanging heavily between them. The siblings, who had only recently begun to rebuild their relationship, now found themselves more distant than ever. Clarissa was the first to move, pushing back from the table with a scrape of her chair. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, not meeting Cassius's eyes. "I shouldn't have... I didn't mean for it to come out like that." Cassius didn't respond immediately. When he finally looked up, his eyes were filled with a mixture of hurt and confusion. "Why now, Clarissa? After all these years, why bring this up now?" Clarissa shrugged, her posture deflated. "I don't know. Maybe it's this pl