Seventy One

For some reason, Anne felt comfortable having them with her. It might be because she knows the kind of relationship they had with her now. She sat beside Amelia, pulling her hair gently, not wanting to be away from her, even for a minute.

Mike stared at them, a feeling of longing in his heart. If only he was privileged to meet with one of his parents too, but knowing it was a futile wish, he asked Anne about his parents.

Anne smiled bitterly, “Nate and Mira.” She choked on her breath, her hand pausing on Amelia’s hair, and breathed in. Her eyes were teary, like she was just mourning her friends. It took her twenty years to mourn friends who were like family to her. She didn’t want to cry in front of Mike. He might be an adult now, but to her, he was just a little child who never got to meet his parents.

“Nate and Mira were the kindest people I ever met in my life; Nate especially. It was difficult to tell that he was an heir to an empire like Afonso’s. When we met him, we were just