Chapter 161

Ever since I stopped being forced to practice hand lettering under Matthew's watch, I never bothered to do it on my own.

I mean, I wasn't exactly a kid anymore, but I was still just as lazy as one, dodging anything that felt like work whenever I could.

"Relax, just write. However it turns out, it turns out," Matthew said, holding the quill pen out to me again.

How was I supposed to say no?

I'd held this pen before when I bought it, but now, taking it from him, it felt so much heavier.

Maybe it was all the ink—or maybe it was the way Matthew was staring at me, like he was expecting something big.

He wanted me to be that girl again. The one who used to write with a heart full of Jace, back when I was that kid always hanging out at their home.

I pressed the pen to the paper, but my hand shook. No matter how hard I tried, the strokes came out all wobbly.

I knew Matthew didn't actually care about my handwriting. What he really wanted was something deeper—he was trying to figure out