Lucian
.
.
The tension in my shoulders eased when I heard the word slip from her lips.
"Mum…"
I looked down at her tear-streaked face, my chest tightening in a way I didn’t quite understand. So that was it. She wasn’t crying over a lover… she was mourning her mother.
Something unfamiliar twisted inside me. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it left me feeling… off.
I wasn’t the comforting type. Never had been. I didn’t know what to say to people who grieved. I never cared enough to try. But sitting here, watching Mara curl into herself, her small whimpers filling the space between us, I found that I didn’t want to leave.
I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down my face before I let my fingers drift back to her hair. I stroked it, this time slower, more deliberate.
“Please come back.”
H
