tt

floor. The giant screen cracked, then crashed off the mount. I stood ther

bas

e he!" I

gripped my hair, yanking hard at the roots as my pulse thundered in my ears. He act

She left me. Viol

object to throw, but

tth

en slowly t

, her face pale, hands trembling at her sid

cture frame in my hand s

dible as her eyes swept over the mess

ly hea

he went. I'm her fucking boyfriend, but

l I sounded. I didn't care

u. You shouldn't bother yourself with her anymore. If she left with h

ed toward her

e belongs to me. I'm

azing hers as I moved toward the hallway.

's scream pi

er chest with pain. Her knees buck

art s

or

ing her before she could hit the floor. I carried her to the

ra, are y

and she reached for my hand, h

verything that happened tonight, it'

lled in

didn't have this heart problem, if I hadn't come back into yo

on't blame yourself, No

t

cause a rift between Violet and me. She's just... being difficult. She

away, stil

" I said gently. "You're

d out,

quickly, bowing. "Good

"to the spare room. And help h

ded. "To

her to wear something of Violet's, they were abou

ered. "Please Matthew, I'm scared she'll hate me e

w tig

clo

Violet would get more jealous if she found out. But then

"Give her one of my

already guiding her ge

d a hand through my face. I kept

h

was she act

I'd done something unforgiv

i

to catch up. That was it. It was purely reflex, and instinct. I saved No

was the

cracked wide open. I held back, didn't I? Even when my mind spun every time Nora

week ago was a mistake. I sto

completely, I didn't. And yet here she was, running of

y breath, as I re

o just lost his favorit

am not a kid, and I

into the room. He gave a small b

ere they went?" I as

ad. "No, sir. We los

swore unde

heard from someone on the inside, your father might b

art d

t the chair scraped again

d once. "That

, my breath catc

man in this

that was my ad

eighteen. He looked at me like I w

" he said back then.

le moment. He had the kind of presence that m

he actually

ard he didn't meet with your grandfath

slowly.

was him witnessing me

and make sure it d

erst

"What do you think about

eed to worry, sir. Miss Violet was just angry. You know how she is, she is sensitive a

d my eyes

continued. "I doubt she left with that man for r

ded s

e

made

ing even when she wasn't wrong. She wasn't like Nora, who needed protectio

er way of

meant to break up with me. And definit