Nia’s Pov
I buried my face in her shoulder, clinging to her as the sobs racked through me, each one harder than the last. I felt her heartbeat beneath my cheek, slow, calm, unshaken and it made me cry harder.
Because I wasn’t calm.
I wasn’t steady.
I was breaking apart, piece by piece, and she was the only thing keeping me from collapsing entirely.
I gripped her tighter, fingers clutching her sleeve like a lifeline. “I can’t lose him,” I whispered hoarsely between sobs. “Not him too.”
Ashera didn’t answer right away. She only held me closer, resting her chin lightly on the top of my head.
“You won’t,” she said at last, her voice low and certain. “He’s strong. And he has every reason to fight.”
I wanted to believe her. I wanted her words to be enough to stop the ache tearing through
