""Does it hurt that much?"
His voice was so soft… too soft… as though he was afraid the question itself might break me.
I opened my mouth to answer but the words never formed.
Because at that exact moment, Nyxella crawled closer on the bed and pressed her tiny palm against my cheek. Her warm hand brushed away one of the tears I hadn't even realized had escaped.
"Sowri," she whispered in her baby-soft voice, waving her small hands in apology as though she thought she'd caused my pain.
My chest tightened painfully.
"Oh, sweetheart…" I breathed, but she was already turning toward Nix, with her little bouncing curls as her lower lip pushed into a stubborn pout.
"Mama sowri," she said again, this time complaining to him telling him, as though he were responsible for fixing it.
A small, unwilling smile tugged at Nix's lips.
