EMILY’S POV
A heavy weight settled in my chest as I watched Lilac and Queen Sandra’s sleek car leave. Queen Sandra had come to help me bring my daughter back to Victoria City. Lilac wailed inconsolably, not wanting to go. Before she got into the car, she hugged me tightly, pleading with me to let her stay with her Grandpa Emman, so we wouldn't have to be so far apart and so she could stay close to her Daddy Larkin. I didn't want to be separated from her either, but I had no other option, for her Grandpa Emman couldn't watch over her, and she couldn't stay in the secret village, where she would see the dire state of her father, and be devastated. Besides, I didn't want to compromise her schooling.
After putting Lilac to bed last night, I stayed up all night watching over Larkin. Even thou
