My chest caved in. “I didn't know she had—”
She slapped me.
It stung, my vision crystallizing for a few seconds. I put my hands behind my back, making sure I couldn’t retaliate even if I wanted. When I looked back at her, she stared at me as if she was waiting for me to do something back. When I didn’t, she went ahead to sit and said, “She sent us all pictures of last night. Said she was the happiest she had ever been. So don’t feel sorry. She was happy.”
I watched as she crossed her legs. She looked vicious, but calm all at once. “Was it painful? How she died?”
“I—”
“Yes or no.”
“I don’t—” My vision blurred. I could tell she didn’t really want to know the details. She was asking out of courtesy. Just to reassure herself. “No. No. It wasn’t.”
Visibly, tension left her body and she
