Chapter 023
Emilia's POV
Lena wasn't meant to be present.
But she was there.
standing in the cabin's doorway. Her hair was tangled and dripping with rain. She made a deal with death after seeing it, as evidenced by her pale face.
I didn't recognize her for a moment.
I had lost the girl I grew up with. This hollow, trembling version of a woman was a shell. She was broken from the inside out by something.
I remained motionless.
At first, she remained silent. simply gazed at me as if I were the ghost.
Her voice sounded rough, as if it had been scraped raw by too many screams, and she asked, "Can we talk?"
I gave one nod. Slowly.
Silently, we strolled. Beyond the cabin, beyond the gravel pathway, into the tree line, where the fog coiled like fingers between the branches. We were com
