She'd never known pain could consume someone so infinitely. There was no way to know where she began or ended. Everything was broken. It was the strings again. Dante had pulled too hard and tore his piece off. Without him, she'd never be whole again.
Nora spent two days in her room, caught between rage and sorrow. Dante had come over again, but Kai had denied him entry. Ruby and Jade had tried their hand, but to no avail.
"Nora, please," Kai called from outside her door. "You have to come out. He's gone. I sent him away."
"Leave me alone!" Nora threw a pillow at her bedroom door. She heard Kai heave a sigh.
"Just know that you left me no choice." The door opened with a soft creak. "I had to call in the big guns."
"What are you talking about?" Nora sniffled.
"Me," a soft feminine voice answered. Nora's head shot up and she saw someone she couldn't believe would be there. "Mom?"