A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust by Sally Garcia

At the time, he was away filming on location, so he didn't make it back in time.

But the family portrait was missing someone else, too—

Calliope.

Staring at the photo, he suddenly understood how Calliope must have felt, like she'd been left out, abandoned.

Ulysses felt a mess of emotions.

He sat down on the couch, looking kind of lost, like a puppy left out in the rain.

"Hey, Ulysses, what's up with you? You finally managed to come home, but you look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders."

Valerian Jewell gave Ulysses a suspicious look.

He'd never seen Ulysses like this before.

He knew Ulysses had been doing great with his acting gigs lately. So he should have been in high spirits.

But right now, he just looked... empty.

"Valerian!" Ulysses finally realized Valerian had somehow ended up sitting right next to him.

"Did something happen?" Valerian asked.

"Yeah, Ulysses, what's wrong? Did something go wrong with work?" Horatio piped up from his wheelchair across from them, looking just as confused.

frowned. "I ran into someone at the airport

The others all

"Calliope," Ulysses said quietly.

"What was she doing there? Going on a

up. At first, I thought she was there to pick me up. I actually felt kind of happy for a second. But, turns out, she wasn't there for

couldn't hide the annoyance in his

brothers, but hadn't even asked when he'd be

it? It couldn't have been you, clearly, you

Valerian was thinking aloud.

picking up

head. "You

and Horatio looked at each other,

it out, Ulysses. What did you see?" Horatio urged him on, sensing there

her brothers. But I

said it quietly, disappointment

little sister. She'd come to the airport to pick someone up and he drun right into her But

He felt let down.

the people she'd -guys

come

hew the disappointment

into something sharper.

they all were, the jealousy just

Valerian and Horatio exchanged glances, the