Tiana paced the hallway, the cold stone walls echoing her every step. Her heart was heavy, her thoughts tangled like vines growing in all directions. She had been restless ever since the night of the rogue attack, and her mind kept circling back to Georgina, her mother—the woman who had once been so central to her life and yet felt like a stranger now.
She reached the dungeon door, pausing before she could open it. The flickering torchlight from the hallway cast long shadows, and she hesitated, wondering what she would find on the other side. Georgina had been locked away for days, and Tiana’s emotions had been at war with each other. Part of her wanted to confront the woman who had betrayed her, who had torn their family apart. Another part, however, wanted to understand the pain that had driven her mother to make such choices.
With a deep breath, Tiana pushed open the heavy door. The familiar smell of damp stone and cold air hit her immediately. Her eyes adjusted to the dimness, and she saw Georgina sitting in the far corner of the cell, her body curled into a small, vulnerable ball. Her hair, once immaculately styled, hung limp around her face. Her clothes were dirty, and she seemed so small, so fragile, that Tiana’s heart caught in her throat.
Georgina’s head snapped up when she heard the door creak open. Her tear-filled eyes met Tiana’s, and for a moment, there was silence between them. Tiana stood frozen in the doorway, not knowing what to say, not sure if she could even bear to speak the words.
“Tiana…” Georgina’s voice was raw, weak, a whisper almost lost in the stillness. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
Tiana’s heart clenched painfully at the sound of her mother’s voice. It was so familiar, yet so distant. She had always been the one who held the answers, the one who had protected her, or so Tiana had thought. Now, Georgina’s words felt hollow.
Georgina’s eyes shone with unshed tears. “Vladymyr… he used me. I thought I could protect you. I thought I could keep you safe. But I failed. I failed you both.”
Tiana stepped into the room, her movements slow and deliberate. She didn’t know if she could trust her mother anymore, but she had to know. She had to understand.
“I thought you were the one who would keep us safe,” Tiana said, her voice trembling. The weight of the words seemed to hang in the air between them, thick with betrayal and regret. “I thought you loved us. But you didn’t protect us, did you? You chose him. You chose Vladymyr over your family. You chose everything else, and we were just left in the wreckage.”
Georgina flinched, and her shoulders shook with silent sobs. “Tiana, please… I never wanted any of this. I only wanted you to be safe. I didn’t want to hurt you. But I was blinded. I thought if I helped Vladymyr, it would all be worth it, that I could make everything right for you. But it was a lie. I was so wrong.”
The anger that Tiana had been holding back for so long surged inside her, her fists clenched at her sides. Her mother’s words didn’t make it any easier. They didn’t undo the hurt, the betrayal. “You didn’t protect us. Eva did. She saved us when you couldn’t. She took care of us when you turned your back on us.”
Tears streamed down Georgina’s face, and she looked at Tiana with pleading eyes. “I know. I know I didn’t protect you the way I should have. And I’ll carry that guilt for the rest of my life. But please, don’t hate me.”
Tiana shook her head, her anger fading into something deeper—something more painful. She wasn’t sure if she could hate her mother, but she couldn’t forgive her either. Not yet. Maybe not ever. There was too much damage, too much that had been broken. And even though a part of her wanted to rush to Georgina and make it all better, another part of her knew she couldn’t. She couldn’t just ignore the truth of what had happened.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway. She turned quickly and saw Dany standing in the doorway, his face serious but soft with concern. He had been following her, no doubt sensing her turmoil.
“Tiana…” he said, his voice gentle but firm. “You don’t have to forgive her. But you can walk away from her.”
Tiana stared at him for a long moment, her eyes clouded with a storm of emotions. She looked back at her mother, who was still curled on the floor, her face a mask of regret and desperation.
“I’m not asking you to forgive her,” Dany continued, stepping closer to her. “But you can’t let her poison you any longer. She’s not the person you need her to be.”
Tiana’s chest tightened at his words. It was the truth, and she knew it. But the truth didn’t make it any easier.
Georgina looked up at her, her voice small but pleading. “Tiana, I’m sorry. I know it’s too late to change everything, but please believe me when I say I never meant to hurt you.”
Tiana’s eyes welled with tears, and she felt the sting of her own broken heart. “I know you didn’t want to hurt me. But you did. And I don’t know if I can ever forget that.”
Dany reached out to her, his presence a comfort even as the pain of the moment threatened to overwhelm her. “You don’t have to. But you do need to decide what’s best for you. For your future.”
Tiana stood there for a long time, torn between the love she had once felt for her mother and the hard, bitter truth that had unfolded before her. Slowly, she turned away from Georgina and looked back at Dany.
He gave her a small, understanding nod, and she took a deep breath before speaking the words she had to say.
“I can’t stay here anymore,” she whispered. “I can’t keep looking back. I’ve made my choice.”
She didn’t look back again as she walked out of the dungeon, leaving her past behind her, as painful as that was.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
Summary & Review: Comrade
