Verity's pov

The silence lasted only a heartbeat before my mother moved.

Her chair clattered backward and hit the floor with a bang that made everyone flinch. She didn't seem to notice. Her hands came up to cover her mouth as tears streamed down her face and her whole body trembled like she was coming apart at the seams.

"Verity," she whispered again and this time it sounded like she was seeing a goddess or something.

She took a step forward and then another and soon she was running. Her ...