FIA
Athena's eyes brightened. Something fierce and alive flickered behind that ancient exhaustion.
"That's good. Anger is good." She stepped toward me again, close enough that I could see the gold flecks in her dark eyes that matched mine exactly. "Hold onto it like a lifeline."
She reached out slowly, like she was afraid I might disappear if she moved too quickly. Her fingers didn't quite touch my arm, hovering just above my skin.
"Valentine Blossom is part of the reason why I couldn't live a fulfilled life and raise my own daughter right. The reason I couldn't be there for my grandchild. For you."
The words came out measured, each one weighted with decades of pain that had never found proper release.
"There were others too. Pauline Strati and her demented husband. But those are sins of old."
Her hand dropped away.
