I shouldn’t have come.
She was there, Cecilia’s mother. Her eyes locked onto me, sharp and unyielding. I didn’t need words. I could see it all on her face: the accusation, the hate and the pain. You killed my little girl. You broke her heart. You made her a mockery. You ruined her.
And now, here I was, standing before her… with another girl by my side.
I shouldn’t have come.
And for the first time, I felt guilty and small, my title and prestige vanishing like incense smoke.
I didn’t know how to face Cecilia’s mother. I stood frozen, my body caught somewhere between fear and shame, as her eyes drilled into me, stripping away every ounce of composure I thought I had.
Sera stepped lightly to my side and cleared her throat. “Mrs. Varyn… I’m Sera,” she said softly, her tone calm and sooth
