Chapter 186\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
The dream came softly at first, like another memory I hadn\u2019t meant to remember.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was standing in a field of silver blue grass that shimmered under a full moon. The air was cool and still, the stars so close they seemed to hum. A woman stood a few paces ahead, her back turned, hair dark and reflecting the light.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew her before she spoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMother?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The woman turned. Selene\u2019s eyes were the same soft gray I remembered, shimmering like moonlight. They were kind and knowing, full of a love that reached across years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy little moonbeam,\u201d she said, her voice soft as a breeze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My chest tightened. \u201cYou\u2019re here. I\u2019m so glad. I need you. I feel so lost.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the goddess keeps is never lost,\u201d my mother said. She reached out, her hand brushing my cheek, warm despite the dream\u2019s chill. \u201cYou\u2019ve been carrying too much guilt, my love. It\u2019s clouding what\u2019s meant for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t understand,\u201d I said, tears stinging my eyes. \u201cEverything feels wrong. I keep making choices that hurt people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selene smiled softly. \u201cThe goddess doesn\u2019t make mistakes. She puts us where we need to be, even when we don\u2019t yet see why.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what if I ruin everything again?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you learn,\u201d my mother said simply. \u201cThe goddess doesn\u2019t ask for perfection, Ellie. She asks for faith \u2013 in her, and in yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moonlight brightened, spilling over everything until the field was awash in silver light. My mother\u2019s form began to fade with it, her smile lingering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust your heart,\u201d Selene said, her voice echoing as the dream began to dissolve. \u201cIt knows the way home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I woke with a soft gasp. The early morning light streamed through the window, golden and quiet. The familiar scent of lavender drifted from the open door \u2013 Rae must have already arrived.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart was still racing. I pressed a hand to my cheek, half expecting to feel the warmth of my mother\u2019s touch still there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goddess doesn\u2019t make mistakes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words echoed through me, both comforting and terrifying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goddess might not, but I do,\u201d I whispered to the empty room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat up slowly, rubbing my temples. It was hard to tell where my mother\u2019s voice ended and the goddess\u2019s began. Maybe they were one and the same. Maybe that was the point.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The faint sound of laughter drifted from the kitchen light, familiar, real.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I rose, wrapping my robe tighter around myself, and padded softly down the hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 186\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae was standing at the stove, humming under her breath, a pan of eggs sizzling. Cassian was behind her, reaching over to grab a mug from the shelf. He said something low that I couldn\u2019t quite catch, and Rae laughed, shaking her head as she swatted his hand away from the plate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sight stopped me in my tracks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a simple moment, ordinary and warm, but something about it made my chest ache. The ease between them, the quiet comfort of shared space. They moved around each other without effort, as if their rhythms had always matched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae turned and spotted me first. \u201cYou\u2019re up early,\u201d she said, smiling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCouldn\u2019t sleep,\u201d I admitted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian handed me a mug of coffee as I sat at the table. \u201cYou look like you\u2019ve seen a ghost,\u201d he said gently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I have,\u201d I murmured.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae arched a brow. \u201cDreaming again?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded. \u201cMy mother.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian\u2019s expression softened. A look of longing flashed across his face before he schooled his expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom\u2026 tell me about it. What did she look like? Did she seem\u2026 okay?\u201d Cassian asked. There was a softness to his tone that I\u2019d never quite heard before. Cassian had a deep voice that effortlessly commanded attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Right now, he almost sounded nervous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It made perfect sense, though. This was our mother, and Cassian remembered her in ways that I never would. It almost felt wrong that I was the one communicating with her while she remained beyond his reach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was beautiful. Serene. She\u2019s at peace, Cassian,\u201d I replied carefully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He nodded once, seemingly satisfied with the information. His shoulders\/relaxed a fraction, and he cleared his throat. \u201cWhat did she say?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hesitated, staring into the dark swirl of my coffee. \u201cThat the goddess doesn\u2019t make mistakes. And that I should trust my heart.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae set down a plate and slid into the chair across from me. \u201cThat sounds like good advice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds terrifying,\u201d I said honestly. \u201cWhat if my heart doesn\u2019t know what it wants?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian smiled faintly. \u201cHearts usually do. Our minds just talk over them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up at him, surprised by the gentleness in his tone. \u201cWhen did you get so wise?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 186 Chapter 186\u00a0 Ellie POV\u00a0 The dream came softly at first, like another memory […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-unremembered-mate-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23755\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}