Chapter 88

**Kaelen

As I stood there, watching my mother engage in conversation with Vanya, a surge of anger and protectiveness coursed through me. The golden rays of the sun bathed the scene in warmth, but to me, it felt like the world turned hazy, the edges of my vision clouded by shadows of past hurt and resentment.

My blood boiled, heat prickling beneath my skin, as memories of my mother's condescending