Chapter 43

Amelia POV

After a few extra awkward moments with Robert Amelia had made excuses to be by herself—and she did not miss how his eyes brightened. When she'd gone into the little house, she'd taken a drink of water from the hand-powered pump in the kitchen, then fallen onto the bed, entirely clothed, and cried. But not for long. Because she definitely was exhausted and had fallen asleep inside minutes.

She was nevertheless asleep when Robert knocked at the door to take her to dinner. She'd had to rinse her mouth out, finger-comb her hair, then dart out to the little platform and let him pull her down like a infant in the hands of their father.

He'd walked her thru the woods again, asking her if she was okay, and she'd been fine—bleary-eyed, and confused, however fine.

Now she was sitting at the one of the tables, Evelyn across from her, Robert to her side, blinking and staring at everything, and everyone.

It was surreal. Eve