Chapter 32

Seris’s POV

The wind was cool against my face, lifting strands of hair in a restless dance and gently brushing my skin. I had no idea how long I’d stood there, nor when my tears had stopped. My hands clenched the railing as memories of every harsh word I’d ever heard since birth flooded my mind. I’d always believed that, as I grew older, life would improve—that things would change for the better. But I was wrong. They had only grown worse. I felt a grim relief that no one had looked for me here; not that they’d ever really cared.

A small voice whispered, “But Ronan cares.” I shut it down just as I had pushed Eirwen away only moments ago. I stared down at the manicured lawn, then beyond it to the dark forest’s edge, and wondered what would happen if I jumped. The drop looked long—maybe long enough to end everything.

“What about Nessa?” that same tiny voice pressed.

“Shut the hell up! Stop talking!” I yelled into the emptiness. My daughter would be bette