it was easier to wake up in the morning and tell herself that reyes no longer loved her than it was to confront him again. she had come in her naked emotions to him and he had dissolved them further in his reaction. teya could not get the sound of her own sobbing out of her head, how she had cried next to him and her mate, her husband, had done nothing.
and so she left him that day to accompany bridget. she had not offered a time that she would be back; her address of him had been cursory at best. she'd kissed @Sorana between her downy ears and promised a fishtail on her return.
teya had not been one for talking during their walk. the raven felt that a particular bridge had been burned with the cardinal. the physician's continued presence in her life told her that all was well, after a fashion, but it deterred the woman from bringing reyes to bridget again.
surely it was clear upon her face, a clear pain beneath the tiredness she had come to accept as part of parenthood. she did tell bridget of her intentions to visit caracal and try to mend things, at very least offer neutral-territory visits to the boy if he decided he wanted to know his sister. and she told sorana about caracal, talking aloud and calling him her brother. reyes had no say in that.
still she was unprepared to actually see him again so soon, and as the yearling plunged toward them, teya froze and held back, all her carefully rehearsed words an escape.