Ashes Of The Same Fire

windows, and drifted down to where Chizaram slept, tangled in sheets that felt softer than anything she'd ever known. It was the kind of softness that belonged in

it all. The bed was enormous, the frame carved of dark mahogany with intricate patterns that seemed to whisper old money. The sheets were sat

e wa

om was

delier that threw prism-like specks across the room. Velvet drapes in deep burgundy were pulled back to reveal a

w. A tray rested on the nightstand, laden with a breakfast fit for royalty: fresh croissants

e knock was followed by

ing," came a soft

th elegant precision, their postures upright, their heads slightly bowed in reverence. One of

e one with the towels. "Would you li

ough they were figments of a

her voice hoarse and uncert

fore the youngest, a girl no o

Island, madam. Mr.

caught in

un

ht you in late last

replayed yesterday's chaos in jagged clips: Amara's venomous words. Her mother's

not

ght of everything. Her soul, heavy with ye

ow?" she asked, h

of the maids said, and stepped forward to hand her

ross it in elegant cursive. She o

Zar

I was scared, but I've n

rld see your burns. You stood in a room where love sho

is st

now-not because I'm giving it to you, but be

oon. I want to ta

s, T

om the shocking relief of being seen. Truly seen. For the first time in her life, someone had written words for h

d, the bre

e turned toward the maids. Her voice still held that

. The youngest one spoke agai

ned, escaped her lips. "Then I gue

nto a private courtyard where a marble bath, surrounded by flowering bushes and hummingbirds, waited.

let the sun warm her face. She was still in shock. She hadn't had time to

ass. She'd spent her entire life chasing their validation. Their recogniti

en sang with the sound of birds and water. She felt the heaviness in her limbs

and dressed in a simple sundress th

irt sleeves rolled up, a smile playing on

aid, crossing to her

eart thudding. "Like I woke

ours. It always has been. You ju

ing her head against his chest. The beat of his he

going?" she as

er forehead. "To your future. But fi

garden where a small table was set under an almond tree, Chizaram knew something ha

ger the exile. No longer the girl forced to watc

f. Fully. Fier

ry was just