“Mom?”
Aruna barely recognized her own voice.
The woman behind the gate stepped forward slowly. The courtyard lights made her look thinner, paler, older than the memory Aruna had kept in her heart, but the shape of her face was unmistakable.
“Aruna…” she said softly.
Aruna’s heart raced. She moved forward instinctively, but Dante caught her wrist.
“Wait,” he said quietly.
She turned to him. “That’s my mother.”
“I know,” Dante replied. “That’s why.”
The iron gate opened with a slow, heavy sound.
The woman walked out and stopped a few steps away from them. Her eyes searched Aruna’s face as if trying to make sure she was real.
“You’ve grown so much,” she whispered.
“I thought you were dead,” Aruna said, her voice trembling.
The woman’s expression shifted. The faint smile faded.
“
