The forest had become my place of safety, a place where the burden of the world fell away. The towering trees, their roots full of knots gripping the earth like ancient sentinels, offered solace. Out here, the whispers of the court and the pitying glances couldn’t reach me. The woods didn’t judge or pity—they simply existed, wild and unyielding.
Most days, I wandered aimlessly, letting the crisp air burn my lungs as memories of Asher’s rejection replayed in my mind. It was a loop I couldn’t break—a sharp sting of humiliation followed by a deeper ache I couldn’t name.
“Why wasn’t I enough?” I whispered to the empty forest, my voice cracking. My words vanished into the stillness, swallowed by the trees.
But today was different. Today, something stirred up faintly but undeniable within
