Miranda's POV
I didn't bother turning on the lights.
The moon hanging outside my bedroom window was enough to soften the darkness, and for the first time all day, I welcomed the silence that surrounded me.
The engagement gown had long been replaced with a loose cream-colored sweater and comfortable trousers.
My hair, once perfectly arranged for dozens of photographs, now rested freely over my shoulders.
I sat quietly beside the window.
The engagement ring remained on my finger.
I hadn't looked at it since coming upstairs.
A soft knock never came.
The bedroom door simply opened.
I didn't have to turn around to know who it was.
My mother rarely knocked.
She stepped inside before gently closing the door behind her.
For several moments, neither of us spoke.
She remained standing near the entrance while I continued looking out through the window.
The silence between us wasn't peaceful.
It was heavy.
Eventually, she broke it.
"Why did you do it?"
Her voice wasn't loud.
