•South Road Forest•
[Ovelia's POV]
I held Gale's body close, my arms wrapped around him as if I could keep him here through sheer will. But his body was growing cold. Slowly, inexorably, the warmth was leaving him—like he was becoming what everyone said he was. A corpse.
My mother and father died so I could live. And now Gale…The thought pierced through me like a blade.
"This is my fault." The words came out hollow, empty, barely a whisper against the night air. The hole in my chest ached with every heartbeat, a physical pain that made it hard to breathe.
Ace's hand pressed gently against my back, steady and warm. "I don't know what happened to him—it wasn't normal, any of it—but this isn't your fault."
I didn't look at him. I couldn't. If I saw his face, if I saw the pity or the grief, I would shatter completely. Instead, I hugged Gale tighter, pressing my face against his shoulder.
