Alester simply gave her a warm, reassuring smile.
"She just wants to celebrate with you, dear. After all, after tomorrow, you will be beginning a new chapter of your life and building a family with the man you chose for yourself."
The words family and the man you chose hit Aliana like a truck.
Alester continued, placing a warm hand over hers.
"You have always been my bright little angel. You have never needed to be told things twice to understand them, and I cannot tell you how proud I am of the woman you have grown up to be."
Guilt clawed at her heart as a dark whisper echoed through her mind.
'I'm a disappointment, Father... a murderer.'
She lowered her eyes in shame, but Alester kept speaking.
"And now you are beginning this new journey. As your father, I wish with all my heart that this new beginning will be smooth sailing throughout your life. But..."
