The silence in the SUV was thicker than the blood on my hands.
I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles ached, every single bump in the dirt road sending fresh fire through my torn shoulder and chest. Blood kept seeping through the bandages, warm and sticky, soaking into the seat. But none of that mattered. The real pain was in my head, tearing me apart from the inside.
Was any of it real?
The question kept hammering at me, louder than the engine. Every memory felt poisoned now. The way she held me on the bridge like I was her whole world. The way she whispered my name in the dark like a prayer. The way she looked at me like I was worth saving.
Or was Kane right? Was she just using me this whole time?
Elara sat beside me, staring straight ahead, her hands clenched so tight in
