Chapter 148 – Daphne POV
I just hold her.
Just arms.
And silence.
And the weight of her shaking against my chest.
Estela told me everything—about Antonia, about the orphanage, about the truth she never asked for but got anyway.
It's heartbreaking.
Her voice cracked halfway through. Her eyes didn't water—they poured. Like her body had been holding in a storm and finally let it break.
I don't think there's anything I can say to make it better. And I'm not foolish enough to try.
Some pain isn't meant to be reasoned with. Some grief just needs to exist—to scream, to sob, to stain the air.
So I hold her.
She's curled into me on the bed, her face tucked into the hollow of my throat, fingers clutching the front of my shirt like she's afraid I'll vanish too.
I won't.
I stroke her back in slow, steady circles. Whisper nothing. Just let her fall apart, piece by piece, knowing I'll be here when she's ready to gather herself again.
Her voice comes out eventually, hoarse and small.
