ALEXANDER
“Faye...” I managed to say before she cut in.
“You were just going to die quietly, weren’t you?” she asked.
She still stood frozen in the doorway, eyes wide, and tears already blurring her vision. She looked from me to her father, then to the healer, who instinctively lowered her head and stepped back.
“Faye,” I started again, my voice breaking before I could find the right words. “I...”
She took a slow step forward, her voice barely more than a whisper. “You said you were fine…”
The crack in her tone gutted me.
“And this... this is what you meant?”
Her voice wavered on the last word, trembling like it was the only thing holding her together. I saw the tears spill before I could say anything.
“Faye, please...” I took a step toward her, but she shook her head sharply, bac
