Chapter 255: The Duke Who Was An Anchor
Lyria's POV
Duke Valenridge did not say anything.
He did not speak. He did not shush me. He simply held me, his arms steady and firm around my shaking shoulders, his chest warm against my cheek.
I cried into his coat.
I clutched at it, my fingers curling into the dark fabric as the tears fell freely.
They soaked into the cloth.
They soaked into my skin.
They soaked into the space between us.
And as I sobbed, I spoke, the words broken, my stammer more pronounced than it had been in weeks.
"I m-m-miss her," I said. "S-s-she wasn't s-s-supposed to g-go. S-s-she shouldn't have g-gone."
I hit his chest.
Though the moment was weak, given the fact that I had only just recovered and my limbs felt unfamiliar, as if still learning how to be used.
"W-w-what am I s-s-supposed to d-do now?" I asked. "You t-told me to use a-a-anchors. P-p-people to support m-me, p-p-people w-w-who m-matter t-to me. But one of th-th-them is g-gone. She's g-gone."
