Vale
I stood at my office window, staring out at the academy grounds where students moved around the campus.
The cup of chamomile tea in my hands had gone cold an hour ago, but I continued to nurse it, finding comfort in the familiar ritual even as my mind churned with thoughts I couldn't silence.
Isolde's voice kept ringing in my ears, her words from our last private conversation echoing over and over in my mind.
"One of your children goes to Ravenshore."
That single sentence had shattered whatever peace I'd managed to build over the years.
The casual way she'd delivered the information, like she was commenting on the weather, had made it even more devastating. She knew.
After all, she'd been one of the people who facilitated giving them away. She'd said having a child at 18 would only ruin my chances to have a better life, and because of how much love and security Isolde had given me at that time, a mere 15-year-old, I'd fallen for it.
