L BURG

g against my ribs. The cold inside me deepened, a

ng Garrick' s. His jaw was tight, his expression unreadable, but there was a fli

t was the same smile he used to give me when I was upset, the one that promised comfort

almost a whisper. "What happened t

tight, but I had to try. I had to beg. "Connor," I whispered, my voice t

if the sheets aren't soft enough, or if the coffee isn't perfect." My hands trembled, reaching

one left. Please, don't leave me alone." I was so caught up in my desperate plea

crossing his face. But it vanished quickly. My voice, full of my

his arm, yearning for his touch, for any si

k as if my touch burned him. My

id, his voice still gentle, but f

beams of the ceiling were smoothed, polished until they gleamed. Each corner was free of dust, and a l

fficient provider, had not replenished it. Connor hadn't done it either. I had been too afraid to ask, too afraid that any complaint would be the final straw. So I huddled in thin blankets, sil

d hushed voices. My head sn

s low voice, sharp and biting. "Don't

"No. I'm just making sure she doesn' t run to her father, or worse, try to sabotage A

d clear, shattering what little hope I had le

ving further into the house.