My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 407

Nadia

"I can't do this anymore, Edran." Mama's words cut through the air, sharp as broken glass.

Nobody said anything for a moment. Then Mama zipped the bag shut, picked it up off the bed, and walked past both of us, out of the bedroom. I fell into step behind her, and Father followed a beat later, close enough that I could hear his footsteps on the stairs behind mine. In the kitchen, Mama set the bag down by the door without a word and turned back to face us, Father standing near the table again like he'd never left it at all.

I took a stumbling step forward, between them. My hands shook as I held them out, palms up, like I could catch the shards and make the pieces whole again. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words tangled in my throat. I tried again.

"Please, can we all sit down, talk about this like a family? There's no need for any of us to fight like this." My voice sounded thin and fragile, even to my own ears.

Mama whirled on me. "Nadia!" Her tone was a knife's edge.

I swallowed hard. "But why are you yelling? We can fix..."

"Nadia!" She cut me off again, the single word cracking through the room. "Pack your things. We're leaving."

I blinked, stared at her. My mind struggled to make sense of her words. "What? No, Mama, we can't just..."

She screamed then, so loud that I stumbled back a step, my ears ringing. "We can't do anything! None of us! You have to see that, Nadia, you have to see what he's done!"

I flinched at her anger, at the intensity of her words. But as quickly as it had flared up, the rage drained out of her, leaving her cold and hard. She took a deep breath and repeated herself, her voice softer now, but somehow even more terrifying.

"Pack your things, Nadia. Our ride will be here in twenty minutes. Go on."

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