LILIANA
I gather her into my arms. She doesn’t resist. I stroke her hair while whispering soft reassurances, willing her to calm down. “You’re strong, Selena, stronger than you know.”
She lets out a short, derisive bark of laughter. “I don’t feel it.”
“You are,” I insist firmly. “The fact that you’re still standing after all this? That’s strength.”
She clings tighter, her breath coming in shaky gasps. “I want to give up.”
“I know.”
“I keep trying and it's just–” Another sob wracks her body. “I don’t know how much more I can take.”
My hold on her tightens. “You’ll take as much as you need to, because that’s who you are. You love fiercely and fight just the same. Even when it feels impossible.”
She sniffles, pulling back slightly to look at me with red-rimmed and glassy eyes. “You do
