A COMPANION'S INSIGHT

POV: Mia

Ivory's struggle with her past demons was similar to watching a hurricane rip across the coast; it was strong, destructive, and seemed unstoppable. Being her closest friend, I had seen firsthand the fallout from the hurricane that had ripped through her life, leaving a path of emotional devastation that seemed unmanageable.

All the same, our relationship held strong, a lifeline keeping us together in the middle of mayhem. The sister I never had, Ivory was the kindred spirit who knew me better than most people could.

I was therefore there for her when the waves of her history crashed down on her again, prepared to ride out the storm as I had done innumerable times before.

"Mia," she would murmur, a tiredness in her voice that went right to my heart. I'm not sure whether I can handle much more of this.

I would hug her at those times, trying to ease her pain as much as I could. Ivory was a force of nature a woman whose fortitude and resiliency had been developed in the furnace o