WINTER

“Are you all right?”

Valtor’s gentle question pulled me back from the fog in my mind. I blinked, then offered him a small smile and shook my head.

We were having dinner together, something I’d been looking forward to all day. The food was delicious yet I barely tasted it. My thoughts kept drifting back to the orphanage no matter how many times Valtor had told me not to worry. Guilt clung to me stubbornly, refusing to loosen its grip.

Every time the memory resurfaced, I saw the ...