"Kayla, I thought you loved that boy."
Kayla hadn't even realized that tears were streaming down her face until her mother tenderly wiped them away. It was as if she had been living in a daze, feeling emotionally numb to the world around her.
Her mother's comforting touch brought her back to the present, and she looked into her mother's eyes, still feeling overwhelmed. "Oh! My little girl, don't cry," her mother whispered soothingly, her voice filled with concern and love.
Her father, too, noticed her tears, and his brows furrowed with worry. "Kayla, did Kalix say something to you?" he inquired, his voice gentle and concerned. "You never cried before. Why are you crying, my beautiful girl?"
"Father, take me home," Kayla implored, her voice quivering with a mix of emotions. She clung to her father as if he were her lifeline. In that moment, she realized how profoundly the past, or perhaps the future, had affected her.
"Let's go," her father responded without hesitation. Carriages were summoned, and together, they made their way back to their home. It had to be one of the shortest parties Kayla had ever attended, and she couldn't begin to fathom the scandal her abrupt departure would create. But she felt there was no other choice left for her.
As they journeyed back, Kayla couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over her. The weight of an impending marriage to Kalix, the powerful duke's son she had once dreamt of marrying, had been lifted from her shoulders.
Throughout the ride, her mother held her tightly, offering unwavering support without a single question about why she was crying or why she had just rejected such an esteemed suitor. Instead, her mother simply enveloped Kayla in a warm and comforting embrace, allowing her daughter the space to come to terms with the tumultuous emotions that now coursed through her.