(Isla)
I lowered the letter into my lap. Until recently, I hadn't even known Darius was my father. Now I knew he'd loved me, wanted me, and spent years searching for me after I disappeared. Seeing that promise in his own writing made everything Lyrienne and Orin had told me about him mean even more.
Lyrienne wiped her eyes and looked down at the letter. I knew she was remembering things I could only learn through her. She had lived through those days with him. She had watched his fear grow.
"He meant every word," Lyrienne said. She touched the bottom of the page. "Once Darius believed someone wanted you, protecting you became all he thought about." She remembered how often he checked on me.
I folded the letter carefully. There were still more waiting, but I wasn't ready for another one
