Ivy
I found myself standing in the middle of the Crystal Grove, the air thick with the scent of roses. Amidst the scent of roses, another familiar scent hit me hard.
And then I saw her.
By the fountain in the center of the grove stood my mother. She was smiling, the way she always does—bright, radiant, as if nothing in the world could dim her light.
“Mom?” I whispered, my voice barely a breath. She opened her arms, and without hesitation, I ran to her, my heart leaping in my chest.
“I’ve missed you so much,” I murmured, my face buried in her shoulder as tears welled up in my eyes.“I thought you were gone. I thought I’d never see you again.”
“I’m always with you, Ivy,” she said softly. “I never left.”
I pulled back slightly to look into her eyes, my hands gripping her arms, afraid
