Chapter 34 Echoes Of View

Time moved on into the morning; Erin with Iris, the silence between them comfortable and understanding. There was something else in the air: hope, so fragile that maybe this time things could be different—that somehow, beyond all the hurt, they could figure out a new way together. The door creaked open again, and this time Phillipa stepped in as well. Her presence was formidable as ever, though now there was a softness in her gaze, one that Iris had never seen before. The tension in the room seemed to go up a notch now, with Iris locking eyes with Phillipa.