***
I had never known pain like the one I felt in that moment. I stumbled out of the booth, barely comprehending anything that Joaquin was saying. I was lost, and something in me had snapped, almost like a leather strap exploding.
I could hear Morgana calling out my name behind me, but I completely ignored her as I headed for the door. My head was swimming, and the noise around me seemed to fade away into oblivion as I stumbled away. Nothing else remained in my head but a single buzzing word, and yet it held a finality which sent a shock through my entire body.
Dead.
It was so suddenly and so powerful, and yet it was one of those words that could never be taken back once it was said. The word would haunt me forever, and I knew that as soon as it left his mouth. I could have pretended
