"Nova!" Liam spun around in a split second and wrapped his arms around me, shielding me completely.
Thud.
The knife sank deep into his stomach.
Everything still went.
I stared as blood soaked through his white shirt. He gritted his teeth, but didn't make a sound.
Mara stood frozen, still holding the knife. "Liam...?"
He swayed, but kept his voice steady. "I told you, we were never going to happen."
Sirens wailed in the distance. Our next-door neighbor opened my door.
"Ms. Ainsworth, I saw her with the knife and called 911 right away."
"Thank you," I said faintly. All I could see was Liam's face.
He was getting paler by the second, but he tried to smile. "I'm okay. I see it now, how badly I messed up. How much of a coward I was. But Nova, look. I did it. I protected you."
I stare
