She Turned Her Grief Into Wings novel Chapter 53

He looked at her still slightly swollen eyes, his tone hardening. "So, your eyes are swollen because you were crying yesterday."

Shera offered an awkward smile, not giving a direct answer.

He asked, "Do you still have feelings for him?"

Shera's hand, holding the spoon, paused. Her eyelashes fluttered.

Did she still have feelings for him?

She thought to herself that perhaps, from the exact moment she willingly handed over her father's medical resources, she had given up on him entirely.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I just don't want to be tied to him anymore."

To say she felt absolutely nothing would be a lie; she was still in the painful process of detaching herself.

Getting over him was just a matter of time.

Thinking back to the competition, she remembered the look Rosalie Kerr had given her at the venue.

"That Rosalie Kerr... she seems to be Felipa Pembroke's student."

"Yeah. The Kerr family probably has ties to Felipa's husband. She personally mentored Rosalie."

When Shera had asked him to look into Felipa Pembroke earlier, he had done some background checks and familiarized himself with her inner circle. He just hadn't expected her star pupil to be at this competition.

"I got a close look at her work while we were waiting. Her technical skills are undeniably top-tier. Even though the silhouette was traditional, the embroidery was breathtaking—an absolute masterpiece."

Shera had seen her fair share of excellent work before, but seeing it today had been a true feast for the eyes.

She had once been lucky enough to photograph an embroidered handkerchief crafted by Felipa. Her stitching technique was entirely her own. Seeing Rosalie's work today, it was instantly obvious who her master was.

Shera knew her own handiwork had its limits. Right now, she could only rely on her creativity to stand out. She hoped she'd have the chance to be mentored by a master to close that technical gap.

Even if things didn't work out, even if she failed or made a fool of herself, he would say, "The fact that you got this far makes you braver than all of them. You didn't give up. In my eyes, you're always a champion."

She remembered jokingly asking him back then, "If I told you tomorrow that I was going to be a fighter pilot, would you stand on the sidelines and say, 'I know you'll succeed'?"

And Rhys had looked at her, his eyes shining. "Of course. To me, you are the most incredible, bravest person in the world."

*To me, you are the most incredible, bravest person in the world.*

Those words had saved Shera during her lowest moments time and time again, pushing her forward whenever self-doubt and impostor syndrome threatened to swallow her whole.

She didn't know if it was the fever or the stress, but she felt incredibly emotional lately.

She kept thinking about the past.

For some reason, memories that had long since blurred were suddenly crystal clear. She remembered their childhood, the things he had said to her, every single summer night they spent cooling off under the massive banyan tree.