LUCA
The words I’d thrown at her in the infirmary kept replaying in my head.
The wasting sickness.
I’d wanted to push her away, make her see we could never be anything. Instead, I’d gone for the lowest blow I could think of. And it worked. She’d looked like I’d slapped her before she actually slapped me.
But now, sitting at the lunch table with my usual group, it didn’t taste like a win. The food on my plate may as well have been cardboard. My fork scraped at the mashed potatoes without bringing any to my mouth. I kept glancing toward the cafeteria doors, waiting for that soft scent of hers to cut through the smell of cooked meat and bread.
She didn’t show.
“Looking for someone?” Annalise asked from across the table. Her tone was sharp but laced with curiosity. She always had a nose
