Mara
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I didn’t know how long I had been crying. My cheeks were damp, my throat raw, and my heart felt like it had been stomped on over and over. My body ached, my stomach throbbed, and my head pulsed with a dull, agonizing pain. The air stank of rot, of old blood and oil, and every time I tried to breathe, it made me feel sick.
The door creaked open and I flinched.
Karen walked in.
My chest tightened.
She ran to me quickly and knelt in front of me, placing her trembling hands on my arms. “Please,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Please stop crying. I’m so sorry. I’ll explain everything. I promise, Mara, I didn’t want this.”
I looked at her, my vision blurred from the tears, but even through the haze, I could see the guilt all over her face. “How could you do this to me?” My
