Chapter 57 What Happens When Bravery Costs You Them?

Elena’s Point Of View The yard went still. The silence pressed down heavy, thicker than the night air. My chest heaved, every breath slicing fire through my ribs, but I didn’t look away. My words hung there… Even in death, father is a million times better than you… like a blade no one wanted to touch. The men shifted uneasily. Boots scuffed against gravel, metal clicked as someone adjusted a knife at his belt, low mutters stirred but quickly died under the weight of her glare. My mother didn’t speak right away. Her face was locked, unreadable, her jaw sharp in the crooked lamplight. Then, slowly, the corners of her lips twitched. She was smiling. Not the kind of smile anyone would welcome, but one that made my stomach twist into knots. “Bold,” she said finally, her voice soft, almost caressing the word, though her eyes burned cold. “Very bold.” I stood there, chest rising and falling, trying to still the shaking in my limbs. Heather whimpered behind me. Dave’s crying had turned into hi