AUTHORS POV

It was as though the air in the room was still, and the curtains hung loosely open like two soldiers on both sides of the window. Tessa reeled in thoughts as her conversation with Regina lingered like a scent that got stuck to her nostrils. Tessa stood by the window for a moment, watching the moonlight stretch across the backyard. Her mind was a riot of emotions—concern for Regina, frustration over Pedro, and the low churn of exhaustion that wrapped around her like a second skin.

She was definitely losing her mind, and her helplessness was not helping.

A part of her felt a tinge of gratitude to...