Stella
By the final morning of the conference, I felt hollowed out.
My body moved on habit alone. Dress. Breathe. Walk. Smile when required. Everything else had slipped out of reach.
Outside, the snow had finally stopped. The sun was peeking through the clouds, turning the world into a slush of gray and white.
My father found me just after dawn.
I was seated at the small table in my private sitting room, hands wrapped around a cup of tea Asher brought me that had gone untouched. I hadn't realized how long I'd been staring at it until my father sat across from me.
"You're awake early," he said gently.
"I didn't really sleep," I replied.
He nodded, unsurprised. "Asher warned me in passing."
"I ran into him late last night, he offered to keep me company," I said, cringing at how it
