The baton slipped from my fingers.
My whole body was shaking.
My blood felt frozen one moment and boiling the next, the pressure rising until my vision blurred.
Lily saw me standing there, hollow-eyed, and scrambled to her feet, leaning in for one final shot.
"You've been picking up after a man I threw away for years. The truth's out now. If you want to keep any dignity, let us go. Stop making yourself more pathetic than you already are."
'The third wheel?'
'Pathetic?'
The words floated through me without landing.
My world was caving in, the horror of that night replaying on a loop behind my eyes.
"Fine. Have it your way."
"I'll protect her with my life. I'll never let her suffer a moment's pain. If I ever break this vow, may I die a miserable death."
I was still standing there,
