Page 120 of Wells

Cain closes his eyes.

"So the Duvalls died for Vin's lie."

"Yes."

The word sits in the room like a stone dropped into still water. Ripples spreading. No way to pull it back.

Rhodes leans back in his chair, arms crossed.

"And Ridge carried that."

Ridge's voice comes out rough.

"I carried it."

Reeves looks at Ridge, then at me.

"You should have told us sooner."

"Maybe," I say. "But it was cleaner this way. Vin's gone. You know the truth now. Now we can move on, growing the business, honoring Mom and Dad with the Stone name."

"And if one of us wants to finish it? Track him down and put him in the ground anyway?" Reeves asks.

Ridge answers before I can.

"Then you do it knowing it's revenge, not justice. We made our choice. You make yours."

The room goes quiet again, and no one moves. Cain reaches for the bottle of water in front of him but doesn't open it. Just turns it in his hands.

"Did anyone else know? Before you told Ridge?" Cain asks.

"No," I answer confidently.

"You sat on it alone."

I meet his eyes.

"Until I had proof. Yes."

Cain sets the bottle down. Reeves runs a hand over the back of his neck.

Keller tilts his head, studying me.

"Wait."

I brace for the next question.

"You would have smoked half a pack of cigarettes by now. How long have you gone without smoking?"

The shift catches me off guard. I glance at Ridge, who's watching me with something that looks like faint amusement. I hold the unsmoked cigarette up and smile.

"Going on three months."

Cain blinks.

"I'm sorry. Are we handling one family revelation at a time, or should I sit down again?"

"No fucking way. Three months. You."