#Chapter 100: A Tragic End

Aria Wendy pressed the steaming mug of hot tea into my free hand. She deftly massaged the balm into the small cuts and scrapes covering my other hand, but I hardly felt it. My mind was still on the edge of that cliff with Darren’s arms safely wrapped around me. “You’re lucky you didn’t come into contact with any poisonous plants,” Wendy tsked as she worked. “You could have a full-blown infection by now.” I swallowed a gulp of tea, burning my throat as it went down. “I’m just glad I’m alive,” I muttered. My voice was still hoarse from screaming, and now that I was settled in a warm chair by the fireplace in the common room, my entire body ached from running. Wendy glanced up at me. Her usual tender demeanor was still there, but it was now edged with the kind of disappointed look that only a grandmother could have. “You shouldn’t have gone into the forest on your own.” My cheeks reddened, and I looked away as if that could somehow hide my shame. “Trust