"Second chance?" Sorayah scoffed inwardly, her expression icy cold as her eyes narrowed. You think this is a gift? You dare call this fate?
No. This wasn't fate.
This was a curse.
"Sorayah?" Lupien's voice pierced through her thoughts again, softer this time. He reached forward and gently took her hands in his. "Stay with me, okay?"
Sorayah blinked, disoriented. The warmth of his touch clashed against the ice in her chest.
"Stay with you?" she repeated, her tone distant. She swallowed hard and met his gaze, masking her swirling emotions behind a composed façade. "I don't understand what you're saying, Your Highness."
"Don't go anywhere," Lupien said, his voice low and pleading. "Stay with me... even though Pearl wasn't able to stay. You have to stay here with me."
His eyes locked with hers, filled with desperation and something else she couldn't quite place....grief, perhaps. Regret.
