...... Ria ..... My heart pounded relentlessly in my chest, threatening to burst through my ribcage as I beheld my children standing before me, their innocent faces now etched with a mixture of fear and uncertainty. "What are you doing here?" I stammered, my voice betraying the fear and worry that gripped me like a vise. "Why aren't you at school?" I demanded my attempt to steady myself futile as my breaths came in erratic gasps while my mind raced with a deluge of questions. How did they get home? Why did they leave school in the first place? My heart ached, desperate for answers while grappling with the sense of impending doom. Rhaegar hesitated, his restless eyes darting nervously between me and his younger brother, and his voice trembled as he spoke, telling me that they couldn't

