Chapter 173: A Soul’s Best Friend

Thelma Zane’s POV I stood frozen, overwhelmed by Dorothy’s words and the emotions swirling within me. I didn’t think my actions were wrong or overly reckless. What I’d done didn’t feel like a “sacrifice,” at least not in the dramatic sense that Dorothy implied. That word carried too much weight, suggesting something life-threatening or final. But my actions hadn’t been life-threatening. They were risky, yes, but not to the extent of putting me on death’s doorstep. Still, I knew what we were facing was no trivial matter. This wasn’t child’s play, and absolute safety was a myth. Someone always had to take on a bit more risk for the sake of the group, for the sake of progress. If someone had to shoulder that burden, why couldn’t it be me? I wasn’t a genius strategist who could turn the tides of fate with a clever plan. I didn’t have a supernatural ability to make everything fall into place without effort. What I could offer was my strength and determination to reduce the risk