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.

Ulysses frowned. "I ran into someone at

The others all looked

"Calliope," Ulysses said quietly.

at the airport?" Valerian sounded surprised. "What was she doing there?

there to pick me up. I actually felt kind of happy for a second. But, turns

the annoyance

to pick up her other brothers, but

it?

Valerian was thinking aloud.

she picking up

head. "You guys

Horatio looked at each other, even more

see?" Horatio urged him on, sensing there was

was picking up her brothers. But I wasn't

quietly, disappointment heavy in his

come to the airport to pick someone up and he

He felt let down.

he saw the people

come

hew the disappointment

into something sharper.

all were,

Horatio exchanged glances, the realization