norella pov
Tears threatened to spill from my eyes as I left the garden, a silent battle raging within me. "We'll be fine," Ama assured me, her voice a soft echo in the vastness of my room.
"Yeah, we will," I replied, more to myself than to her, as I crossed the threshold and let the comfort of my bed envelop me in its embrace. Sleep came as a merciful oblivion, a brief respite from the turmoil of my heart.
**The next morning...**
Sunlight streamed in, chasing away the shadows of the night as Jane flung the curtains wide. "Good morning, my lady," she chimed, her voice a familiar melody in the dawn chorus.
"Good morning, Jane," I greeted back, the lines between maid and friend long since blurred. She had seen the worst of what life had to offer, just as I had, and I could no more treat
