(LOCKE)
Sigrid once told me that one needs not to hear but to listen.
I never understood the difference. Hearing is the same thing as listening, isn't it?
But as my mate looks at me, her voice ragged, her eyes devastated and filled with tears, I finally understand.
I've been hearing her ever since I found her again, but not once have I tried to listen to what she has been saying. My stomach churns.
A slave.
That's how she viewed herself? Even when she was with me? Did I make her feel that way?
For the second time in my life, I feel helpless. I don't know what to say to her. My mate, this is my fault. Of course it's my fault.
I'm almost glad when our son interrupts us. Corrine is shocked, and she turns around quickly. "Finn. I—Did we wake you?"
The boy steps down from the stairs, looking upset. "Why're you crying?"
My mate instantly wipes away her tears. "I'm not. Why aren't you in bed?"
