Book 2: Flora / Chapter 23: The Maid

The moon had set somewhere beyond the horizon, making the darkness of the night sky almost absolute, if not for the sprinkling of stars that shone even brighter with the absence of the celestial disk. The air had grown much colder and Flora shivered in the darkness as she waited for the sun to rise. She sobbed softly, not quite knowing if she would survive the night. There was only the dawn and the light it brings that she looked forward to, hoping that it would bring her fresh hope and that against all odds, she would be able to return to her home in Cardena.

Flora remembered how barely two weeks ago, she was anxious as to how she could celebrate her daughter’s birthday who had just turned five. She blamed herself for falling hard for that selfish, lying scoundrel whom she called her husband. She had come to Malen many years ago to work as hired help for an old lady who was living off her savings and needed someone to stay and help her with her daily chores. Flora worked really har