“You know how it feels to lose a loved one?” Her tone was sharp, and the bitter laugh that followed was even sharper. “Well, newsflash: my father and I were the farthest things from close. I made a vow to loathe him forever, for selling his daughters off to a rival. I don’t need your sympathy, Abel. If I wanted that, I might as well hang myself.”
I swallowed hard, unable to look away from her – my shirt collar suddenly felt so tight, my black coat stiff around my pits, and my eyes watering.
I didn’t dare speak. I couldn’t. It felt as though my vocal cords had all suddenly gone numb.
“I keep wondering though if you really know what it feels like as you claim. To be suddenly separated from the people who gave you life and brought you up? To watch them look at you from a few meters
