pte

ie's

burn throbbed so deep I swear it was crawling through my veins, and yet the sound that gutted me wasn't from the wound. it was from the

that. He

e whispering, their eyes darting at me in pity, but I couldn't bear to look at them. I hated their stares, hated the way they remi

and mop leaned. My hands shook violently as I grabbed them, the wooden handle diggin

t the mess through blurred eyes. My body was trembling, dizziness clawing at my head until I

a gentle voice

rip. Another pair of hands pried the mop away from me. I bl

, her voice shaking with guilt. She knelt,

hreatened to give out. "You shouldn't. you shouldn't be standing like

r voice cracked as she whispered, "Elodie. I'm sorry

. My throat was so raw, strangled. So I just gave the w

fully, she began guiding me toward the door. My feet dragged across the floor. Be

and saw her carrying that broth. The steam was rising off it. If

chest heaving, b

y would she throw it like that? That wasn't an accident. That was. that was almost l

. My stoma

now, dancing to Carmela's tune. She's the real ruler of this place. And we all know it, if any of us

heart bled and bled, until it felt like nothing was left of it.

ause she squeezed my shoulder gently. That tiny ge

ou," I w

ft with sympathy, and nodded. "C

s, past the whispers, pas

epped out of the ro

They accused me, pointed their fingers, tried to humiliate me in front of everyone. My hands had shaken, my words

ad growled, his voice like thunder. "You fault her,

ed. And Calhoun. Calhoun had turned his face toward me, his expr

ken. Defiant. Protecting me with a

it meant something. That maybe. just may

reathe through the ache of k

y stupid I mu

, or that Calhoun didn't even blink before believing her. Not a single question. Not even a flicker

never be put back together. I fought the urge to clutch my chest where the pain was slamming through

hrow me away? Didn't he see it? Didn't he see how much I loved him? How much I bled for him, silently, ever

st? Just once? Even half of w

aningless in his world, a

ess-the way he didn't even spare me another

ore than a hollow shell. I didn't even remember walking out the doors; it was like my body moved whil

I would crumble if she held me too tightly. When the car arrived,

" she whispered, her eyes heavy with

roat too raw to form words,

. The driver kept glancing at me in the rearview mirror, his brows furrowed with quiet concern as my tears slid

ke it was the only thing tethering me. I left it by the door the secon

but I didn't move away. Instead, I let my tears mix with the water, running down in rivers until I couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.

amp skin. I didn't care that my hair was dripping, that my bed would get

t to crawl into bed, m

t into my stomach whe

lh

, ready to swipe and answer, desperate to hear his voice ev

st tightened when I saw the message pop up on my screen

I had become, I slipped into another wear, tied my hair up with trembling hands, and left my apartment. My

prepared. A wave of nausea slammed into me the mome

ng was d

little bonsai tree I had planted with his grandfather before the old man passed. gone.

t. Expensive handbags and shoes scattered at every corner, perfumes linin

ropped so

greeting. Without a word, he plucked the bag from my hand, rummaging through it. Only whe

rrowing. "Your injuries look ter

rd. Slowly, I

lways does. It wasn't because she wanted to hurt you, alright? She's just. she's just having a rough

could stop it. "That won't be necessary,

because you need to be strong. You'll be putting togeth

them. My lips parted, but no sound came out. My

was about to speak again, but then a

al

her face twisted-pure venom flashing in her eyes. But the second Calhoun turned toward her, she s

"I'm feeling pain all over my body, Ca

mach l

gentle. "Don't hurt your feet. Go lay on the bed. I'll get

hispered, smi

er-while all I ever got was indifference. I remembered the night I almost broke a tooth from clenching down against the stress, the day

leave form.

No call. N

imper was all it

p it. I turned and walked out, my legs carrying me like they didn't belong to me anymore. A

t one t