CHAPTER 19: STORMGLASS HEART

VELARA’S POV

I never imagined shame could have deeper layers, that it could sink so low inside me and still find a way to crush what little dignity I had left. But there I was, pressed up against the cold glass window, my breath fogging up the pane as a sudden crack of thunder split the heavy sky. The sound startled him awake, his small body stirring inside. My heart clenched with a mix of sorrow and helplessness. I could hear the slow footsteps of my father retreating down the hallway, the soft echo of his departure marking the distance growing between us.

My mother, after a pause, drew the curtain aside just enough to peer in. Then she settled herself on the couch, cradling my son close in her arms. I stood outside, staring through the wet window, aching with a fierce longing to reach him, to soothe away the chill and the fear I knew he must be feeling. But even though it tore at me, I understood that this was the safest place for him,F warm, dry, and protected from the storm outsid