The immediate danger was gone, but their hearts were still pounding.
It was only then that Natalie realized Liana had spoken.
“Liana, you can talk.”
Liana clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide and frozen. She… her secret was out.
She shared the same fear as her father: that if Natalie knew she could speak, she would leave her.
Her plan had been to wait until Natalie and her dad's relationship was more stable before she slowly started making sounds. But in her haste, she had revealed everything.
It was also in that moment that she realized her father could stand. They had the same idea without even planning it.
Natalie looked at Liana excitedly, but Liana just stood there, stunned.
Natalie grew more animated. “Liana, that's wonderful! You can talk. Try calling my name.”
Liana lowered her hand. Her lips formed the name “Natalie,” but no sound came out.
Natalie was confused. “Liana, you were just talking, weren't you? What’s going on?”
Lucas chimed in, “Natalie, Liana must be like Dad. She saw you were in danger, and it unlocked her potential. But she's probably not fully recovered yet. The fact that she can speak is a good sign, though. I think she's getting close to being all better.”
Lucas was the only one who understood what was really happening. He had seen his father stand up before and had also heard Liana secretly singing. He knew that both his father and Liana were afraid Natalie would leave them, so he played along with their act.
“We should get going now.”
They left, not noticing a hidden figure in the corner: it was Marie, wearing a mask after her plastic surgery.

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