Chapter Twenty-Eight

Mika waits anxiously in the attic until Jamie comforts her about calling Primrose. Primrose phones, unable to find Nowhere House due to wards, and Mika brings her in. As they approach, Primrose questions the powerful protections. Mika mentions Lillian’s death and the annual wards, triggering collective recognition when the household emerges.

The revelation lands: Primrose is Peony, Lillian’s identical twin. She explains their abusive childhood, their diverging philosophies—Lillian reckless and searching for a place where witches could live openly, Primrose cautious—and that she felt Lillian die fifteen years after they last spoke. The group realizes Primrose is, by law, the girls’ guardian, escalating the stakes.

Primrose offers to handle Edward. Mika leaves her to perform complex memory extraction while she reassures the girls inside. After sunset, Primrose finishes, confirming she removed all of Edward’s memories of the day but not his suspicions. Mika proposes removing Edward from their lives permanently by leveraging Primrose’s resemblance to Lillian.

They stage Edward’s awakening in his car. Primrose greets him as if she were Lillian, politely but decisively firing him and instructing him to forward paperwork, effectively closing his involvement. Edward departs, bewildered and compliant.

With the immediate threat resolved, Primrose outlines a plan to report Lillian’s death in a few months and magically mask remains if examined. She asserts her legal responsibility for the children and questions them living together. Mika counters that Primrose could decline guardianship so it passes to Jamie, then silently commits to fighting Primrose’s intent to separate the girls.