GERALD
"Did you find anything?" I asked one of the guards as he descended the spiralling staircase of the great Chestnut Palace. Standing at the centre of what used to be a vast parlour, I allowed my eyes to take in what now lay in ruins- ruins I had made.
My legs splayed apart, my hands on the holster of the gun at my waist, I reached into my soul, searching for an ounce of guilt, even a notch, but felt nothing. This was the home of the woman who now haunted every space in my head, a home I had desecrated and burnt to the ground. Still, I felt no guilt for what I did.
I could recall that day, the first time I saw her physically after seeing only her picture for so long. It was like today, as I had stood at this same spot and watched them drag her down the same staircase, thrash
