THALIA
We didn’t speak the entire drive out of Alryn Town.
The town line blurred past my window, and the familiar streets shrank behind us until buildings gave way to open road. I kept my face turned toward the glass, trying so hard to steady my breathing and force these damn tears to stop.
Unfortunately, I still have no luck even in that department. I hear Nel at the back of my mind, also trying to calm me down, but tears kept slipping down my cheeks in quiet streams no matter what I do.
Rael didn’t rush me or ask any questions and just focused on driving. As soon as we crossed into the next city, he slowed down and pulled into a quiet parking lot beside a small shop that was yet to open. The morning rush hadn’t reached this hour yet.
It was calm, almost too calm compared to the sto
