Chapter 38 Considering Things

(Iris)

In the dimly lit confines of the room, tension hung thick between Naomi and me, the weight of her words reverberating off the rough stone walls. She stood near the door, her figure silhouetted against the faint light filtering through the barred window.

Her shoulders were tense. Her gaze was distant as she seemed lost in her own thoughts.

“That’s not true,” I insisted, my voice shaky but filled with a conviction born of years of shared memories. “He always loved you. Remember? When we were kids, he’d give you anything to cheer you up, and he never had much!”

Naomi’s lips twitched briefly, a shadow of a smile crossing her face before fading. “Well, a brother does that too,” she replied softly, her voice betraying a hint of bitterness that didn’t quite mask the pain beneath.

I swallowed, unsure of how to bridge the growing gap between us. Words felt insufficient, inadequate to convey the depth of my feelings. I wanted to reach out, to comfort her, but the walls she’d bu