“What happened here?” I ask, my voice breaking. “To her?” I ask.
Cara is lying on the bed, covered by her vines. There is pallor on her cheeks and her lips are painted red. Her eyes are shut close. Her black hair is strewn all around her bed. Her pillow is made of vines. There’s no movement from her, not even the rising and falling of her chest.
Lemuel raises his head to me. He looks tired and older than I have last seen him.
“Holly…” he whispers. He gets up, walks gingerly towards me, and hugs me. “She’s dead, Holly. Cara’s dead.”
Lemuel shivers while crying. I look around. Thankfully, no one is in the room. They mustn’t see the Ruler bawling his eyes out like this. I feel my shoulders drenched with his tears. And with all his crying, it’s as if he already robbed me of my own tears.
