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.
• The older woman had never made a secret of her disapproval, and Iris had often found herself wondering if there would ever be a day that she could see past her own biases.Erin rose from his seat, his stance defensive. "Mother," he said, using quite a different tone.