Chapter 41

• “Riven,” I cried out his name and hugged him.
• He stiffened as my arms wrapped around him but he didn’t push me away. I held on to him as if I would float away if I let go of him and then I cried.
• The anxiety I had pushed to the back of my mind swarmed into me all at once. The fears I had about starting a new life, the agitation I felt being introduced to so many people all at once and wondering if we could get along or if they were just pretending to like me – the voice at the back of my head that told me there was no need to try since I was cursed to be disliked, they all slammed into me at once. Once I let myself cry for my adoptive father, I just couldn’t stop crying.