Valeria took a shaky step back, her hands clutching her arms as if to shield herself. “I… I don’t know how to tell you this,” she began, her voice barely above a whisper. “Your mother… she arranged for the treatment while you were in the coma. She said it was for our future.”

Markus’s eyes narrowed, his brows knitting together as a storm of emotions crossed his face—confusion, anger, and betrayal. “Treatment? What treatment?” he asked, his tone dangerous.

“She… she ...