Eira stirred in her sleep, her fingers clutching onto Adelyn's clothes as another faint murmur slipped past her lips.
"Mama …"
Her voice trembled, as if she were on the verge of tears.
Adelyn's heart tightened.
She couldn't hold back anymore.
Pulling her into her arms at once, she whispered softly, her breath grazing over the girl's hair.
"Shh …" Her voice was gentle, barely above a whisper. "Mama isn't going anywhere. I'm right here ... with you. So, sleep."
Her hand moved gently —patting Eira's back in a slow, soothing rhythm. Within moments, the little girl relaxed in her arms, as though she had finally found what she had been searching for.
But Adelyn's brows slowly knit together.
Only then did she realize what she had just said.
A faint frown formed on her lips.
She had wanted to avoid unnecessary entanglements —to stay distant, and as uninvolved as possible.
Yet somehow … she kept getting pulled deeper into them.
