Chapter Fifty-Nine

After a night with Cassian, Nesta spends three days in his absence feeling desperate and distracted. She invites Emerie and Gwyn to stay at the House for a read-in, and the three women bond deeply through playful interactions with the House's magic, sharing personal histories, and crafting friendship bracelets with wishes for one another.

Nesta wakes contentedly in Cassian's arms. They make love again at dawn before he rushes to leave for an annual snowball fight with Rhysand and Azriel at a mountain cabin, followed by a legions inspection in Illyria that will keep him away for several days. During the three days of his absence, Nesta finds herself consumed with need for him, struggling to focus despite Azriel's stoic training sessions. Desperate for distraction, she invites Emerie and Gwyn to stay over at the House for a read-in. That evening, the three women settle into the private library. When Gwyn arrives, she discovers the House's magical properties. The women test the House's abilities by making increasingly absurd requests—platters of food, bathtubs filled with bubbles containing tiny birds, silent fireworks, a towering cake with dancing frogs, and crowns and accessories. While soaking in their bubble baths, Gwyn opens up about her deceased twin sister Catrin, expressing her wish to have one final moment with her to say goodbye and declare her love. This confession moves Nesta, who reflects on her fractured relationship with Feyre and realizes that past mistakes need not dictate the future. Gwyn then reveals she brought materials to make wish bracelets—a tradition she shared with Catrin. The three women begin braiding friendship bracelets together in companionable silence. When it comes time to add the charm coins, Nesta takes all three charms and makes a single unified wish for all three of them: courage to venture into the world when ready, but always the ability to find their way back to each other. The coins appear to glow faintly as she opens her palm.