Gideon smiled faintly when he heard Freya's answer. "Your mother is a real one. And you grew up kind in a world like this. That says a lot about you, Freya."
Her eyes brightened, and she nodded without hesitation. A soft flush crept onto her face.
"Thank you. You're right though, my mom really is the best. I'm glad she kept guiding me, even if she can be a little controlling sometimes. At least I didn't lose myself."
"She's not that bad," Gideon said. "Not really controlling either. She's just worried. Honestly, that's better than having no one guiding you at all."
The words lingered longer than he expected.
That had been his life. A bad father. A dead mother. Every step forward was taken with only his sister beside him.
"Yeah," he added quietly, "never thought I'd say this, but I'm thankful I had my sister growing up."
