Jake ***
The sound of Belle’s shallow breathing was the only thing that kept me grounded as I carried her back to her room. The chaos of the mansion had faded into a numbing silence, a silence that mirrored the dark abyss inside me. I’d killed again. And now, with her in my arms, I wondered if there was anything left of the man I once was.
“Jake…?” Her voice broke through my thoughts, fragile and weak.
I froze in the doorway, guilt seizing my chest. God, what have I done?
“I told you to stay upstairs.” My voice came out harsher than I intended, but there was no hiding the shame beneath it.
Belle’s eyes were wide, filled with confusion and disbelief as she searched my face. “You killed them,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
The words felt like a punch to the gut. She saw it now—th
