~WAVERLY~
I hadn't even gotten a chance to express the words in my heart, when the night took a full 360. My heart had dropped to my stomach, pierced through multiple angles by my own family's betrayal.
And when I had thought all hope was lost, Austin and Leah arrived. Like a miracle from the heavens, they found a way to save me— as I had been sinking into a terrible abyss.
I was moved by Leah's words. Confronted with the harsh past I had been subjected to, my defensive walls came crashing down and I began sobbing like a child. Her words seeped deep into my heart and soul, and I felt bare before everyone present in the hall. But in a good way.
The resentment that had built up in my chest withered like a dying tree, its leaves dispersing in the wind.
Oh, Leah. If only that girl knew how much I loved her. Right from the beginning, she had been the only one to care about me.
