Page 30 of Where Broken Wings Fly

“I see. Well, that would make this little one my great-granddaughter, correct?”

Arianna sucks her thumb into her chocolate-stained mouth. I squeeze my arm around her, wincing as she rests her head on a particularly nasty bruise across my chest.

“Yeah, this is Arianna.”

“How old are you, poppet?” Lola enquires softly.

She automatically looks up at me for permission before answering. I nod, squirming under the collective attention of the entire room.

“I’m six, but I’ll be seven in forty-nine days,” Arianna replies.

“Forty-nine days! Such a big girl, aren’t you? And so brave, looking after your mum like that.”

She accepts the extra cookie that Lola offers her and demolishes it without complaint. Lola smiles again, loving every moment, before she glances back at me.

“You seem young to have her.”

“I’m twenty-six,” I answer evenly.

“And your husband? Is he coming?”

Anxiously twisting the strangling weight of my wedding band, I ignore Zach’s and Killian’s cold facial expressions. Somehow, they both seem to sense my change in emotion, their hackles rising in response.

Arianna shivers beside me and tugs on my shirt sleeve. Even her smile has vanished, and she abandons the rest of the cookie that she was about to inhale.

“Yeah, baby?”

“You said Daddy wasn’t coming,” she whispers.

Gulping hard, I feel the weight of several interested stares watching our exchange. I really don’t want them to know too much about us at this stage. It isn’t safe for them or us.

“He isn’t coming, munchkin. I told you, it’s just us now.”

“So, I don’t need to be scared?”

Unshed tears sparkle in her big, blue eyes, unhinging the box containing my weary nerves. Lola’s gaze is burning a hole in the side of my head, silently demanding answers. When Killian cracks his knuckles, I fight the urge to flinch.

“Let’s talk about this later, Ari.”

“No,” she demands, her bottom lip jutting out. “You promised! I like it here. They have ice cream, and a lake for swimming in. I want to stay.”

“Ari, shush.”

“I don’t want to go home.” Her pout increases as a tiny, sparkling tear rolls down her cheek. “It’s bad there and Daddy makes you really sad. We need to stay here!”

“Nobody said anything about going home,” I murmur back, my own tears spilling over. “Please, Ari. Be quiet.”

“No! This is supposed to be our adventure!”

Burying my face in my hands, I scrub away the traitorous moisture leaking down my face. It’s been days of non-stop travel and running for our damn lives. Arianna’s entitled to a meltdown. I think I might join her at this rate.

“Come on, Ari.” Zach approaches us and sticks out a hand. “Let’s go and get some hot chocolate, okay?”

She looks up at me again, still mad but seeking permission like she’s been trained to do. I gently push her towards him, mustering a thankful smile. Zach winks in response, leading her out of the room.

We all remain silent until the door closes behind them. Despite my audience, more tears fall, escaping the constraints of my fading control.

“I’m sorry, she’s been through a lot.”

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