The heavy crystal glass shattered against the far wall of my private study, sending amber whiskey and sharp shards exploding across the hardwood floor.
I didn't care. I reached with a trembling, unsteady hand for the second bottle resting on the mahogany desk, uncorking it with my teeth and spitting the wooden stopper onto the rug. I shoved the neck of the bottle straight between my lips, tilting my head back and gulping down the burning liquid until my throat rawly protested and my chest throbbed with a suffocating, unbearable heat.
"Ella..." I choked out into the silent room, wiping my mouth with the back of my bruised hand. "Goddess… Ella ..."
Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was her pale, agonizingly quiet face in that hospital bed. I could still hear the cold, final click of her voice cutting through my soul. 'I forgive you, Alex. But I cannot do this with you. I just can't have anything to do with you any longer.'
