(Isla)
My fingers stayed on the paper as I unfolded it. The writing was old, but every word was still clear. Lyrienne leaned closer beside me without releasing my hand. I took a breath and began reading.
"My little Isla, your mother says you're going to be stubborn." I stopped and looked at Lyrienne. "He really started with that?" I couldn't help smiling.
"He knew you before you were born." Lyrienne laughed. "You used to kick whenever I tried to sleep." She looked at the letter again.
I continued reading. Darius had written the letter two months before I was born. He wrote about wondering what I would look like and whether I'd have Lyrienne's eyes. He hoped I'd inherit her patience because he admitted he had very little of his own.
That made Lyrienne laugh again. She told me Darius ha
