~Elsie's POV
I did not know what else to do with myself after he left, and his words still echoed in my head in a way I could not ignore.
So I reached for something simple, something safe, and asked Hanith to get me some books to read.
I told myself it was just to pass time, but really, I think I just wanted to feel like myself again, even if it was only for a few quiet minutes.
A few days later…...
Time passed without me noticing. I didn't hear footsteps outside. I didn't think about where I was. For a while, I wasn't the girl on an island, married to a man she didn't understand, carrying a child she wasn't prepared for.
I was just… reading.
Just following someone else's story.
And maybe that was what I needed.
A break from mine.
I paused at some point, my eyes lingering on a line that hit a little too close, something about fear and not knowing what comes next, and I let out a small breath, my fingers tightening slightly on the page.
