Lyra's POV
I wouldn’t hold myself anymore. I ran out to the house, my heart pounding, feet barely touching the ground as I raced toward the church. It was late, so late that the moon was high and cold, casting pale light across the empty streets. But I didn’t care. I just needed to get to the only place that felt like I could fall apart without the eyes of everyone watching, without the crushing weight of their expectations on my shoulders.
As soon as I stepped through the grand doors, a deep, breathless calm swept over me. The world outside was loud, relentless, suffocating. But here, in this dim, quiet sanctuary, I could finally breathe, or at least try to. The flickering candles painted gentle, golden light across the stone walls, the quiet only broken by the sound of my footsteps ec
