Pearl POV
The figure stepped into the room, and the lantern light spilled across her face.
I gasped. My heart stuttered painfully in my chest as my eyes widened.
“Aunt… May?”
The word trembled from my lips, fragile and unsure, as though I feared she might vanish if I spoke too loudly.
She looked exactly as I remembered her raven hair pinned neatly back, her gown elegant yet understated, her eyes sharp but filled with a warmth I hadn’t realized I missed until this very moment.
“Pearl.” Her voice broke as she said my name.
And that was it. My strength crumbled.
Tears welled up again, spilling down my cheeks in hot, unchecked streams. I stumbled forward, my knees nearly giving way beneath me, until I collided against her. My arms wrapped around her tightly, clinging as though she were
