A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust

"Callie likes this! Let's grab a couple more."

"Oh, she loves these too!"

"Callie, want some strawberries?"

"Callie, how about some blue cheese?"

Quentin and the guys couldn't stop talking about Calliope. Every time they reached for something at the grocery store, their first thought was whether Calliope would like it. It didn't even cross their minds to think about what they liked.

Meanwhile, Calliope was busy picking out snacks she knew her brothers enjoyed.

It was obvious they really cared about each other.

Ulysses watched from down the aisle, feeling a twinge of jealousy.noveldrama

Calliope was so sweet to them, and they were just as thoughtful in return. Honestly, they looked more like her real brothers than he and the others ever did.

And that stung. Especially because, deep down, Ulysses knew that those brothers might really be better for her than he was. It left a sour taste in his mouth, like he couldn't shake the feeling that Calliope belonged with them. Maybe she was supposed to, and he and his group were just... outsiders.

"Calliope!" Valerian's eyes went wide when he spotted her across the produce section.

"It's Callie," Horatio muttered, brows knitting as he glanced in her direction.

No one had expected to run into Calliope here.

Least of all, Lisette. The second she saw Calliope, her expression soured. Especially when she noticed how Valerian and the others couldn't seem to look away from Calliope, all of them suddenly far too interested in her.

"Oh, Callie's at the supermarket too, huh..." Lisette said, her tone sugary-sweet but with a bite underneath.

"I thought she was oh-so busy. Didn't even bother coming home for Christmas dinner."

The words dripped with sarcasm, like she was accusing Calliope of having time but just not wanting to be with them for the holidays.

"She'd rather hang out with those guys who aren't even family, than her real brothers?"

Lisette's lips twisted as if she felt sorry for Valerian and the rest.

Ulysses shot Lisette a look, frowning.

Calliope and Quentin were laughing together, totally unaware of Horatio and the others until Lisette called out. Only then did Calliope turn, a flicker of surprise in her eyes when she recognized them. What were the odds they'd all be here at the same time?

She just glanced at Lisette, then at Horatio and the rest, giving a polite little nod, barely more than an acknowledgment. She looked colder than ever.

After all, she knew now they weren't really her brothers. Maybe if they'd treated her differently when she was younger, she'd have felt something for them.

But whatever feelings she'd had for them as a kid had been worn away over the years, especially after Lisette showed up.

And after dying once, well, Calliope had only become more disappointed in them. Finding out they weren't

actually her blood relatives? That was almost a relief. She didn't we them anything anymore. Notove, no ties, nothing. Just strangers, really.

But Horatio and the others had no idea Calliope wasn't related to them by blood.

So when she acted so distant, it stung. They all felt a little bitter about it.

Horatio, still not fully recovered, sat

in his

to Caleelchair. He rolled right up

to Calliope and looked up at her

"Callie, it's Christmas Eve. You

should be home for dinner

Calliope smiled faintly. "I doubt you really want an outsider like me at your table,

don't you think?"