ROMAN

Amelia's eyes seemed to catch fire in the dying light, a storm of emotions in those depths. I found myself captivated, unable to look away as she spoke.

"I... I don't know what comes over me when I talk about Bertha," Amelia admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. She wrung her hands in her lap, a nervous habit I'd noticed more and more lately. "It's like I become someone else entirely. Someone I don't particularly like." She sighed, I could tell she was trying to force a smile but failed.

What I had expected her to question…was my past, how I ended up in that position, finding her. I omitted what I really was…who I was.

I nodded slowly, remembering the subtle shifts in her demeanor, the sharpness that would creep into her voice whenever her sister's name came up, it was the same with Bertha…when it came to Amelia, she was a completely different person, a beast rather than the soft woman I had once loved.

"I've noticed," I spoke carefully, not wanting to upset her further. "It