den

den bird clutched tight in my hand, feeling like a ghost haunting my own grief. A movement caught my eye, a flash of dark

gsl

splash of color, seemed obscene against the somber backdrop. My breath hitched. How dare the

of surprise, quickly replaced by a tightening of her lips

nched. A dark flush spread across his face, and he stalked towards me, leaving Br

reached me. He grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my skin, pulling me

s grip was nothing compared to the fresh wound he inflicted with his w

with an irrational fury. "You caused too much trouble, too much

traught. But she's making a spectacle of herself. It' s so disrespectful to poor Julia." She cast a

of this tragedy, and they dared to accuse me? I yanked my arm free from Kings

h suppressed fury. "You murdered her! Both of y

hat kind of twisted fantasy are you living in, Hayden? And what are you

r selfish behavior. Apologize for making her last days so difficult." He grabbed my sh

earth. Humiliation, hot and searing, washed over me, but it was quickly eclipsed by a chilling realization. He was not just a monster

laced with a newfound steel. "Not to you. Not to her. A

ne. "You think you're tough, Hayden? You think you can talk to me like that?" His voice was a low

a watery canvas of gray. The cold seeped into my bones, mingling with the pain in my head and abdomen, the constant, dull ache th

. Forgive me. Forgive me for lovi

over the drumming rain. She tugged at his sleeve, her perfect hair now pl

was giving way. The straps were loosening, the connection weakening. A sharp, grindi

bubbling up. I loved this man. I gave him everything.

hought he was. He was a void. An empty, cruel shell. My love for him had been a lie, a beautiful, devastating

y caught off guard. "You think you can just stand there and mock me?" I screamed, my voice raw, utterly unhinged. "You

ecoiled instantly, pushing me away with surprising force. I lost my balance, my prost

ng into the mud beside me. It was the small, intricately carv

ring pain, ignoring the way my head spun. I had to

e I could reach it. He straightened up, his eyes falling on the tiny, mud-splattered carvi