Pāhonoa te oro

*The scene was a silent, devastating tableau. Ethan, his fury spent into a cold, hard resolution, turned on his heel and strode out the shop's front door, the bell chiming a mocking farewell. He left without a backward glance, leaving Jane shattered on the floor amidst the glittering, uncaring gems.* *Jane didn't hear the door. She was lost in the abyss of her own failure, her sobs the only sound in the hollow silence. She didn't see the small shadow that had been watching from the crack in the