I stood there for a moment, watching the space where Wanda had been.
Was she embarrassed? Was that what that was, nearly letting herself cry against someone's chest and then bolting the second a witness appeared? If so, I couldn't really blame her. That was probably the most emotionally exposed she'd allowed herself to be in front of another person in a long time, maybe ever. The fact that she'd let it happen at all, even briefly, even while fighting it the entire way, that meant something.
At the very least, I could tell my words had gotten through. Something had shifted. I wanted to believe she'd at least stop entertaining the idea of handing herself over to the Starakians like some kind of offering, like that would fix anything or make anyone safer. I wanted to believe that.
I was really terrible at reading people's emotions with any precision, so I couldn't be certain. But something had changed in her eyes before she ran. I was holding onto that.
