Contemplation

Chris’s POV

Aunt Maze’s gaze grew distant, lost in memories I could only imagine. “But I chose not to let his darkness consume me. I chose to carve out my own path, away from his shadow. It was not easy, Chris. Do you know what it’s like to denounce your own family’s name all because you hated what it was starting to represent?”

I nodded. “I’m so sorry.” That was all I could say.

She shook her head, some disappointment covering her features. “I remember asking you to join me to come here, to come to China. It was right after I had found out what your father had done to that poor girl’s family.”

I swallowed hard, feeling ashamed. She was talking about Fallon. “Yeah.” My voice was small. “But I was young, what did I know?”

“You were a teenager,” She replied, her tone hard. “But you were very much aware of what your father and his wife had been doing. But you were…” She sighed while shaking her head. “…you were just so hellbent on impressing him, earning his approval.”

I twisted my mout