QUENNOR’S POV
Right after the dinner hall confrontation.
I thought feeding her might help ease her pain if not remove it, at least dull its sharp edges. But she ate slowly, each bite taken as if it were a punishment. When the last piece was gone and she curled in on herself, I understood.
She was withdrawing again.
Not in body, not yet, but her spirit was already slipping away from me. The light that had once shone in her eyes faded, as if someone had stolen the stars behind them. Her hands trembled slightly, hidden under the table, as though she hoped no one would notice. But I saw it.
She wasn’t truly here with me.
Her body was still in the dining hall, but her mind was somewhere else back in that moment where cruel words were thrown at her, reopening old wounds. That woman’s voice
