Owen knelt beside his father and made the same praying gesture.
His small hands clasped together as tears streamed down his soot-covered face.
Mom.
I don't want anyone else to be my mother anymore.
I don't want any other family.
Dad and I have already avenged all the wrongs you suffered.
We burned the woman who hurt you, just like she burned Grandma.
Please come back, okay?
Owen misses you so much it hurts to breathe.
But at that time, I was already far away in the Northern Snow Pack.
I couldn't hear a single word of this father and son's desperate repentance.
I was sitting in my cozy pastry shop, watching the falling snow through the window.
The gentle white flakes reminded me to let go of the past and embrace the present.
I told myself not to think about the old days anymore. I should start a new life here, for myself and for my mother's memory.
I had used the precious gemstones I'd brought to buy this charming little shop in the heart of the pack territory.
My days were simple but
