Ava’s POV
“I’m so damn sorry, Ava,” Steve growled, his voice gritty as we pulled away from the gorge, its rocky cliffs fading behind us. “Shouldn’t have hauled you all into this disaster.” His words were raw, dripping with regret, his gaze fixed on the path ahead.
I kept my eyes down, boots stirring up dirt. “Sarah didn’t deserve that,” I said, my voice empty, flat. “Not even a little.” My chest burned, her cries still ringing in my skull, tangled with flashes of Liam’s hands, fierce and relentless, driving into me until fear dissolved, now poisoned by Lucy’s lies about me banging Steve out in the open to shatter my life.
Steve stayed quiet, the forest swallowing our words, the silence heavy and crushing, pressing on us like a weight. The rogues’ snarls had died out, leaving just the en
