Gaia's POV

The shock in my mother's eyes lasted only a moment before it shattered completely. Her face crumpled, and suddenly she was sobbing—deep, wrenching sobs that seemed to tear from the very center of her being.

She threw herself into my arms with such force that I staggered backward a step. Her body shook against mine, her hands clutching at my clothes as if I were the only solid thing in a world that had just collapsed around her.

"I'm sorry," she gasped between ...