Emrys said nothing for a long time.
He slammed his eyes shut. A searing, overwhelming pain bloomed in his chest, sharp enough to tear his heart right in half.
His chest heaved violently. For all his iron will and desperate attempts to hold it together, he couldn't fight it anymore. Two hot tears slipped down his cheeks.
His thin lips trembled uncontrollably, pulling at the cuts on his mouth and sending wave after wave of stinging pain through him.
But physical pain was nothing compared to the agony gnawing at his soul.
Emrys ground his teeth so hard his jaw ached, forcing a single name out through gritted teeth. "Callie..."
A flood of memories crashed over him like a tidal wave, swallowing him whole.
He still remembered when he'd first moved into the Ellery family home. Aldric had t
