Scarlett

I gazed at her, at Lucy, my mother. She was no longer the woman I thought I had lost, but a warrior reborn.

She had endured betrayal and emerged as a powerful force, a storm in her own right.

And I... I was her daughter.

“This changes everything,” I said. “Nina will answer for what she’s done—and so will Alaric. I won’t hesitate anymore.”

Finn stepped closer, his hand brushing mine. I met his eyes and saw it there; no hesitation, no wariness.

“We’ll do it together,” he said.

I nodded. “Together.”

We were still talking when someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,” I called out. I let...