I sat trembling in the darkness, my body curled into itself beneath the filthy bear fur. The cold had seeped into my bones, but the worst ache was in my chest: a hollow, aching void that no amount of cold could fill. I listened to the fading footsteps echo up the tunnels, the distant clang of the iron door sealing me in. A bitter, hollow laugh escaped my dry lips.
"Finally…finally, I’ve told her the truth,” I whispered to no one, my voice cracking with the weight of my despair. Tears had dried long ago, but my eyes still stung with the memory of Chrissie’s expression,cthe cold, unyielding stare that had seen through every lie, every manipulation. And yet, beneath her thin veil of detachment, I could feel something else, an echo of understanding, buried beneath layers of pain.
“She’s righ
