Chapter 43

• ELOISE
• The ride back to Orla's mansion lacked the luster and the peace of mind I was hoping to have finally achieved after braving through my fear of leaving a life of normalcy. I wished I had actually listened to Fergus. Knowing did make things worse. I just couldn't escape it. The floating thoughts. I barely remembered what happened that night. I didn't see or know how my mother died. But with Fergus' theory floating in my head, I could now picture a scenario and it sickened me even more now that there was a face to accompany it. What if Fadia had actually put up a fight to protect me and failed? I couldn't imagine the horrors that might have been going on in her heart when life began to leave her. Chill seeped beneath my skin as I pictured the despair of failure that would have been on her face. It was unbearable.
• "We were home Eloise." Orla's voice pulled me out of my dark thoughts. She looked at me, concern written all over her features. "You okay?"