_Lisa’s POV_
The leather diary felt heavy in my hands, as if the weight of my mother’s memories were pressing into my palms. The cracked cover smelled faintly of earth and old paper. I sat on the edge of the couch. My body was trembling with anticipation and dread.
Rylan’s warm hand rested on mine. He was grounding me. Kael sat stiffly on the other side. His storm-gray eyes were fixed on our joined hands. The tension in the room was almost unbearable.
“Go on,” Morana urged gently. Her voice was calm but steady. “The answers you seek are inside.”
I nodded slowly and turned the page.
My breath caught as my mother’s words unfolded before my eyes. Her handwriting was delicate and flowing, almost like small rivers of ink spreading across the page.
I began to read aloud, but inside, it fel
