#Chapter 30 Kidnapping

Bastien’s POV I barely recognize my mother. Her once glowing skin is pallid and gray, her usually bright eyes are dull and glassy, and even her hair seems to be losing its color. She’s barely left her room since my father died, staying in bed all day and hugging his pillow as she cries. As distant as Selene has been lately, she seems equally concerned about my mother’s health, now hovering beside me outside the master bedroom and peeking worriedly through the gap in the door. “You have to talk to her.” She urges. “And say what?” I counter helplessly. Selene’s two-toned eyes cut to me. “She needs a reason to go on without Gabriel.” She proclaims. “To be reminded of how much she still has to live for.” My head shakes back and forth. “She’s lost everything.” “Not everything.” My wife says pointedly. “If there’s one force on this earth stronger than love for a mate, it’s love for a child.” She nudges me toward the door, “If her purpose as a mother can’t