I'm Your Only Option

"Being the child of a monster doesn't make you one," Roselia reassured. She wasn't sure if Noah believed her, for his gaze filled with somber sympathy. He revealed a weak smile, as if wishing her words were true, but fell on deaf ears. He sighed softly, shaking his head, and glancing to the floor.

"What about your mother?" Roselia asked, pretending to distract herself with slathering butter on the buns. She meant it to be a harmless question. Surely, there was someone to protect the boys?

"Her name was Noelle," Noah confessed, his voice dropping an octave. Noelle. He uttered her name like a confession on his knees before a temple. "She loved me and Kallum the most." 

'Just Noah and Kallum…?' Roselia's lips parted, wondering how that was possible. How can a mother not love her eldest and first child?

"It's complicated," Noah said. "You'll understand when you look at me and Kallum."