Kaira did not know when she burst into tears in the middle of the central market. One moment she was walking, the next her chest tightened so painfully she could barely breathe. It was suffocating. Unbearable.
Why did everyone keep leaving her?
First her husband, her dear, beloved husband, taken from her without warning, without mercy two years after marriage.
Then that cruel twist of fate she still blamed herself for, the one that took her daughter to that bride selection ball… a gathering that had now turned into something far worse. A trial. One the palace refused to speak of, as though silence could make it less dangerous.
And now… Now Ariel was nowhere to be found.
Kaira's hands trembled as she pressed them against her chest, trying to steady herself, but the ache only grew stronger.
She had only wanted a little freedom for her. Just a little.
