arpent

was no

ncrete room. The next, I was... nothing. A wisp of

evastation. A crater in the floor, blackened walls, and

of peace washed over me. The constant, aching weight of trying to be enough for Arth

ver in a world I no longer belonged to. Time seemed to have no

t, then stronger, drawing me back to the epicenter

with the first wave of

ional detachment. He was here as an architect, a consultant for the city on structur

asked the lead detectiv

omb was strapped right to her. Messy," the

is expensive shoes crunching on the debris. He looked down at the sc

hope flickering within me. A stupid, huma

He' ll see something, a piece of my favorite blue

sed facade will shatter, and he will finally, finally

4. Professional job. The blast was directed inwards, minimizing structur

metal. "See that? The casing is mili

t what was left of me again. He saw a crime scene, a puzzle to

e. He didn' t even co

was just a nuisance who had been pulling a "dramatic stunt" a few days ago. I was an inconve

llecting what was left of me. They placed the fragments into a bod

a spectral passenger on my own final j

inct, his best friend and colleague, K

ia?" Kadin asked,

ecked. Probably a hundred missed calls and a novel' s worth

ling me in this cold, dark reality. I w

ged. "She sounded genuinely scared when her father

ling out his phone. "She' s punishing me b

nd I saw my last texts to

But I was pregnant. You

eet again. In thi

existent heart pounding. Th

often with grief or shoc

muttered, his thumb h

it?" Ka

s voice dripping with disgust. "Sinking to new depth

The call, of course

ne off to complete the drama," he seethed. "Well,

tream of vicious words aimed at

umber. He deleted my contact. He erased me from h

creeping void. The last vestiges of the girl who loved Arthur Thompson died

would ever love me. Now, I gave up the gh

I was forced to watch as the medical examin

ipboard in his hand, ready to a

atch the man I had loved, the man whose indifference had signed

ide me, but no sound came out. I was