Chapter 205: Pieces of Pain

Maria hadn’t changed much. Same soft smile. Same wide eyes, though now rimmed red and hollowed out by tears. There was something cracked about her, not quite broken, but splintered, like a glass ornament too delicate for this place.

And then there was Isabella. Her smile. His stomach lurched. She had her mother’s eyes. Maria’s smile. "Thank you for coming, Ethan," Maria said, her voice a whisper against the weight of the place.