Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
The peace
sapphire
The world was quiet. Weightless.
A small smile tugged at my lips. I’d done it. I’d finally found the peace I’d been searching for my whole life. Warmth wrapped around me like a hug, whispering soft words I couldn’t quite hear. Love, safety, belonging.
“Blythe . . .” The sound brushed against my ear. My name. My real name. No one said it anymore.
I sat up slowly. The bed beneath me vanished as my bare feet touched the ground. I expected it to be cold, but it wasn’t; it was soft, like velvet.
“Blythe . . .” There it was again—the voice, patient and kind.
I turned in a slow circle, searching the endless white around me.
As I took a step forward, the mist at my feet deepened into grass, cypress green and thick as clouds.
The fog melted away, revealing rolling hills that spilled into wide valleys dotted with blossom trees.
Petals drifted through the air like pale snow.
Golden light spilled over everything. It came not from the sun but from a figure ahead, walking towards me through the glow. I didn’t want to run. For once, I wanted to move closer.
He drew nearer, and the light softened, shaping into a man—brown hair brushing his shoulders, eyes to match, and a smile that quieted every dark thought clawing for space in my head.
Who was he? And why did I feel like I’d known him forever?
I glanced around me again. I was still on the hill, a warm breeze wrapping around me, playing with my hair.
He stopped in front of me, holding out his hand. “Blythe.”
Without thinking, I took it. His fingers were warm, steady, real. He smiled, his kind brown eyes creasing at the corners. “Wake up.”