“I’m sorry, Jean, but I don’t need you to protect me. I never needed you to protect me. I needed you to love me, to trust me, to comfort me, and to push me. I needed you to confide in me when you had a poor day and laugh with me when I had a good one. I needed you to wait for me to catch those lutins in Farmer Marc’s field, just as I needed you to break the rules and kiss me when the chaperone looked away.”
