Chapter Sixty Five: My Fault

The restaurant was one of those cozy corner places with warm lighting and the kind of atmosphere that made you want to stay for hours. Sarah, Mia, and Carmelita had claimed a booth near the window, where they could watch the world go by while they tried to process everything that had just happened. The waitress had already brought their drinks – coffee for Carmelita, iced tea for Mia, and a nervous Sarah was nursing a glass of water with shaking hands.

Carmelita leaned back in her seat, letting out a long breath that seemed to carry the weight of the entire afternoon. Her usually perfect composure had relaxed just a fraction, and for the first time since they'd left Lena's house, she allowed herself to look tired.

"Gosh, today was hectic," she said, running a manicured hand through her hair. The simple gesture made her seem more human somehow, less like the fierce warrior who had just demolished Lena's entire world and more like a mother who'd been throug