Delilah's Pov

The moment Verret left, it felt like the world had been ripped out from under me. Silence pressed against my ears like a heavy, suffocating blanket. My chest heaved as I tried to steady my breathing. I looked down and realized that I had dropped my knitting materials on the floor. My fingers shook as I bent to pick them up. My hands were wet from the tears I hadn't even noticed falling. I wiped my cheeks, trying to compose myself, but my eyes stung, and my throat burned. How long had I been crying without realizing it?

I stood slowly, holding the knitting materials against my chest...