Freya
Blaze stood tall in front of me, his broad back shielding me from my stepmother’s pitiful presence. Her face was a mess of tears, red-rimmed eyes darting between Blaze and me as if pleading with us both for mercy.
"Please, please, Blaze," she sobbed, her voice breaking, "don't take my daughter! She's innocent in all this. You can’t punish her for her father’s sins."
Blaze didn’t even flinch, his voice cold as ice when he finally spoke. “Your husband should have thought about that before wronging me. His actions have consequences, and now you all have to live with them.”
I could feel the tension radiating from my stepmother, her desperation escalating. She shifted, her watery eyes snapping to me, and I knew exactly what was coming. She was about to make this all my fault.
“Freya,
