Vivian. I needed to try, one last time, to see if there

low and steady. I was trying to hold on to the las

he was weighing her options, calculating how to control

said, her tone dismissive.

king a step closer. "We're getting

se for us, for the family we were supposed to have. The memories felt real, but they w

oyance. It was clear I was an inco

e sharp. "What is it, Etha

at her lover' s arm was still loosely draped around her. She was bla

laugh escaping my lips. "Yo

ward, positioning himself slightly in front of Vi

is voice a low growl. "You heard

o with you," I said, m

ly I could hear. "Because after she' s done with you tonight, after she wipes that angry look off your face, she' s coming

graphic, humiliating detail. He wanted to pro

ng with his jaw. The crack of bone on bone echoed in the suddenly silent kitchen. Kyl

and plates shattering across the floor. Pain shot through my shoulder as it hit the hard tile. He was on top of me,

screamed, but her voice

could taste blood. My head throbbed, a deep, pulsing ache. I looked at Vivi

ed, holding out

hen she looked at Kyle, who was breathing heavily, a small cut on

le's side, ignor

lled with the genuine concern she had denied me. She gently touched

their faces blank. No one moved to help me. No one said a word. I was alone,

f the tile floor seeped into my bones, a chilling f