After they left, Aria found a quiet moment to slip away from the reception entirely. She needed space, air, time to process everything that had happened.
She ended up in her garden, predictably. The herbs she had tended for years were thriving in the summer sun. Mint growing wild and fragrant, chamomile blooming white and cheerful, lavender just beginning to show purple buds.
Cassidy found her there, as mothers always seemed to find their children when they needed them.
"Hiding from your own celebration?" Cassidy asked, settling onto the bench.
"Processing," Aria corrected. "It is a lot."
"It is," Cassidy agreed. "But you handled it beautifully. The oath you gave, especially the additions, that was perfect."
"I meant every word," Aria said. "Especially the part about not losing myself in the role. I have seen what happens to healers who give everything until there is nothing left. I will not let that be me."
