>>Ariston
I sat on the edge of my bed, elbows on my knees, hands in my hair, feeling like I was splintering from the inside out. The walls of my room blurred in my vision, not because of tears—I had run dry—but because of exhaustion. My shirt still smelled of rain and blood. My body ached in places I didn't even realize I'd been hit.
Everything felt heavy.
I failed.
I didn't say it out loud. I didn't need to. It echoed in every heartbeat, in every breath that scraped my lungs like glass.
I failed to protect her.
My duty. The one thing I promised to never falter in. I was supposed to keep her safe. That's why I stayed close. Why I never let my guard down—not once. And yet—
She was gone.
Because I took her there.
Because I trusted him.
Rael.
How pathetic. How stupid.
I buried my fingers tighter into my scalp, biting down on a scream. What kind of fool puts his faith in a man who walks in and out of your life like wind through an open door?
