Chapter 140

• **Gabe's POV**
• Rage and terror warred within me. My mother's presence loomed like a dark cloud over the glade, suffocating any hope that had blossomed in my heart. But as I looked into Evelina's eyes, wide with fear but unwavering in their trust in me, a fire ignited within my soul.
• I stepped forward, every fiber of my being focused on one thing: protecting her. Defying my mother, defying the shadows of doubt and weakness that threatened to overtake me once more.