Ethan’s POV
“Mm-hmm.” She stirred her stew slowly. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
I opened my mouth to deny it, but nothing came out. Because yes, she was. Even when she was glaring at me, even when she was yelling, or covered in dirt, or furious and shaking—she was still beautiful. Not just in the way she looked, but in the way she burned. Like fire in human form. She looked at me like I was both her worst nightmare and the only person she had left. I didn’t know what to do with that.
“Yeah,” I said quietly, almost to myself. “She is. But it doesn’t matter. It’s not real.” ”
My mother looked up from her cup of tea and smiled at me. Not the big kind of smile. Just a small one—tired but knowing. Like she saw something in me I hadn’t even said out loud.
“Just be careful, my boy,” she
