>>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?
