Phoebe's POV
The carriage wheels rumbled relentlessly against the cobblestones, a rhythmic thrumming that vibrated through the floorboards and into my bones. Outside the velvet-curtained windows, the landscape of the conquered Valerium Kingdom blurred past—a tapestry of gray skies and war-torn fields.
My mind, however, was miles away, stuck in the previous night. I could still feel the phantom weight of Harlow in my arms, her small body warm and trusting against my chest. For a fleeting moment, I had allowed myself to imagine a different life—one where holding a child wasn't a painful reminder of my own brokenness.
But then I remembered the look in Perry’s eyes when he first saw us. That spark of raw, unguarded hope before reality extinguished it. He wanted a family. He wanted us to have a family.
