Chapter 29

Alaria

I sat at the edge of the bed, watching her as she colored.

And for a few moments, I found myself wondering how I was going to talk about this. Because I knew that though she was a child, what she was doing was a reaction out of anger.

Her little brow was furrowed, her tongue poking out slightly as she concentrated on the page. She was angry, I could tell. She always did that when she was upset, when she didn't want to face the world, when she was not ready to face the world. Even as a child, she was a lot more like me than I actually pictured.

She didn’t notice me staring at first, or maybe she did and just didn’t care. She was at the age of choosing to ignore everything that was around her.

But when I spoke, her little hand stilled.

“Nasia,” I said softly.

She looked up, her eyes round and guarded. “Yes, Mama?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat before continuing.

“You can’t keep ignoring him like this,” I murm