came witho

er into wakefulness. She stared at the ceiling, listening, breathing in the petrichor that seeped throu

r of a t

d've bur

leve

ersation in the study. Her father hadn't been a name to her, just a ghost that lingered in the

r feet led her to the hallway beyond the study, where the windows rattled

rain casting streaks of silver across his face. His tie was undone, shi

asleep," he said

one check your hand,"

he bandage from the night before was still wrappe

n't hurt,

nside. "Lying doe

st the window frame. His eyes wer

ached into her pocket and p

ently, and she unwrapped the old gauze. The wound look

urt, huh?"

, barely. "Not th

then, softly, like a thread stretched too t

oked up

se who want to see you gone. And I

said. "You've stop

d to understand that, Emilia. You're

ed. "Are

s head. "That's n

ou keep blee

ort, bitter sound. "You t

n't

ed to take more. It's about a girl who should've been forgotten but wasn't.

ed. "So why didn

"Because you looked at me like I wasn't a

ked the breath

gaze, unsure h

catching himself too late

uci

No

rp this time. It was raw.

*

milia found Rosa wai

ere crossed, her sh

too close to him,"

rowned. "

d he's letting you.

't unde

for too long. He's forgotten what it means to be h

h twisted. "I'm

Sometimes it's the quiet ones

ed, "He's not made for softness. He'l

*

e was tending to a plant she hadn't seen before, smal

hose?" she a

e her. "They're called angel's bre

hey don't look like the ki

e said. "That

near him, her fingers trai

yesterday," she said.

n didn

cided yet," he

ia no

he whispered, "don't wa

her, something uns

won'

oth knew it