Rhea POV
“Ma’am Marienne, I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong with me,” I say, my voice trying to sound calm but wounded as I try to keep arranging the shopping bags in my arms.
I shift them around, pretending to focus on balancing the weight, but she steps closer anyway, her eyes narrowing with that grandmotherly concern that tugs at something deep inside me.
“No, my child, you are not fine,” she replies softly, her hand reaching out to stop me. Her fingers brushes my wrist lightly and all I could see was an old woman who is genuinely concerned about me. “Those marks on your body… they tell a story of so much pain. So much suffering you’ve carried alone. Who did this to you, Rhea? Tell me the truth.”
I swallow hard, my mind flashing back to Eclipse Academy. It was one of those endless da
