The shrill, heart-wrenching cries of Kylie Stone pierced the air, each sob acting like a jagged needle driving straight into Celeste Lynn's heart. Her slender frame trembled with a mixture of maternal instinct and overwhelming emotional exhaustion.
Standing before them, Conrad Stone seemed frozen in time, a statue carved from regret. He didn't dare move, allowing the small girl to cling desperately to his trouser leg. Through the fabric, he could feel the child’s small shoulders heaving with every tearful gasp, a rhythmic transmission of sorrow that tugged violently at his own soul.
This was the God of War, the Supreme Commander who had faced armies without flinching, yet now, the tears of a five-year-old girl rendered him completely defenseless.
Taking a deep, steadying breath to compo
