Selene’s POV
I watched them from the balcony.
Silent.
Unseen.
Waiting.
Below me, in the grand entrance hall, Hannah clung to her mother like a child who had been lost for years.
Tears streamed down her face without restraint.
Her voice cracked.
Her shoulders shook.
And yet
She smiled.
That smile irritated me more than it should have.
My fingers tightened slightly around the cold metal railing.
So tight that the metal groaned faintly under the pressure.
“How touching.”
The words slipped from my lips, low and bitter.
Mother and daughter reunited.
Hope restored.
Faith rewarded.
Pathetic.
I leaned slightly forward, watching as Hannah helped the weak woman toward the inner halls.
Her steps were slow.
Careful.
Protective.
Like she was afraid the woman would break if she b
