Jacob~
I stayed with her the whole night.
Unseen. Unmoving. Quiet as breath in a church.
Easter slept soundly, her breathing steady, arm draped around little Rose like she was something made of stars and dreams—delicate, glowing, impossibly precious. I watched over them from the edge of the room, my thoughts crackling like a storm I couldn't silence. The air carried the scent of burnt leaves and leftover magic—Mariel's spell lingering like frost on glass, beautiful and dangerous.
I'd paid a price for that peace. A heavy one. One that couldn't be measured in coin or time.
And yet... somewhere deep in my bones, I still held on.
To a flicker. A whisper of hope.
That when Easter opened her eyes, she'd feel the pull of me. That maybe—just maybe—some buried piece of her soul would stir. That she'd say my name without knowing why. That she'd reach out like she remembered.
That something in her would still burn for me.
But when she stirred—
