Chapter 1: The Uninvited Guest Days blurred into weeks. The initial shock gave way to a dull, aching emptiness. Elara was placed in the care of her mother's sister, Aunt Clara, a woman she barely knew. Clara lived in a sterile, immaculate apartment in the city, a stark contrast to the cozy, cluttered cottage she had shared with her mother. Clara was kind enough, Elara supposed. She provided clean clothes,