Regina cried.
For the first time in Eryx's thirty-year life, his mother, whom he had always believed had buried her emotions somewhere unreachable, cried.
The whole living room was filled with the quiet sound of her breaking. Not loud. Not messy. Just raw. As if every tear had waited years for permission to fall.
She sat down slowly, her shoulders trembling as she tried to hold herself together, but failed. Eryx didn't say a word at first. He couldn't. He had no memory of this woman ever cracking, not when his father died, not when his brother's body was returned home, not even when Matilda tore her down in front of everyone.
But now, she cried.
And somehow, that hurt more than anything Matilda had said.
Naomi, who had been standing frozen by her side, finally moved. She crouched down in front of Regina, her arms reaching out to wrap around her mother.
