Eli
We rode through the palace gates and saw our family waiting for us at the steps. As we dismounted, Sanaz ran down the steps, tears streaming down her face as she hurried to her son. She held him in her arms as though he were her babe and he wept. She kissed every inch of his face, holding it in hands as though she couldn’t believe he was real.
“My boy, my sweet boy,” she cried, holding him against her as he wept in her arms.
When she finally let him go, she turned to me. Holding my face in her hands, she brought my face down and kissed me on the forehead.
“My son. Forgive me for everything.”
I held her against me as she wept. Asha came down the steps slowly and Lucien smiled faintly at her, holding out his arms. She ran to him then, barrelling into him. Like his mother, sh
