Adelyn looked at the little girl.
The way those big eyes shimmered beneath the light —yet stubbornly refused to let even a single tear fall —didn't escape her notice.
Her gaze slowly shifted toward the neatly arranged collection of hair clips and bands resting inside the velvet box.
Every single one of them looked carefully chosen.
As though, when buying them, someone had eagerly looked forward to seeing Eira wearing them.
"Then shouldn't you be wearing them more often?" Adelyn asked softly, looking back at Eira.
Little Eira pouted slightly before glancing toward the accessory box.
"Eira always wanted to wear them ..." she admitted quietly, her voice merely a whisper"... but Eira was scared to use them."
Adelyn looked at her in confusion.
When the little girl met her eyes again, she softly explained,
"These are the only gifts Eira has from Mama. Eira was scared of losing them."
She had treasured them all these years.
She had wanted to wear them countless times.
