Chapter 402

Regaining my composure, I exchanged a concerned glance with Mrs. Meyers before following Maverick. My heart pounded in my chest, a terrible weight pressing down on me with each step toward Arielle’s room.

We found him there—his small arms wrapped so tightly around his mother that his little fingers turned white from the force of his grip. He buried his face into her, as if holding her close could somehow fix everything, as if his warmth could pull her back from the abyss she was slipping into.

But Arielle didn’t react.

She didn’t move, didn’t acknowledge the desperate embrace of the little boy who loved her more than anything in this world.

She just sat there.

Silent.

This was what I had been trying to avoid, I wanted to shield Maverick from this, from watching his mother fade away in front of his eyes. But it seemed I was doing a bad job.

I stood there, helpless.

I wanted to pull Maverick away, tell him that everything was going to be okay, that I would fix this so