Page 100 of Wreckage

Another.

Each one felt like swallowing glass, my throat closing around every mouthful, my breath coming in short, sharp bursts.

When I couldn't stomach it anymore, I set my plate down and rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling, my chest shaking.

A soft, broken sob slipped out.

Then another.

I pressed my hands to my face, but the tears kept falling, kept coming until my entire body was trembling.

I had never felt this kind of pain before.

Not when my mom left.

Not even when I thought we might never get out of here.

This—this was worse than all of it.

I barely noticedwhen Adrian finished eating; his gags were barely suppressed as he wiped his mouth with a shaking hand.

I heard him shift, the plate scraping against the floor as he adjusted Elena in his arms.

Then I heard the first bite.

I froze, my breath catching, my stomach twisting all over again.

She ate quickly, and her body was too weak to question it and care.

She didn't know. I couldn't stand to tell her. Not now. Maybe not ever.

I bit my fist to keep from crying out, from sobbing openly as I listened to Adrian feed her, his voice soft and soothing, whispering gentle reassurances like we weren't monsters.

Like we hadn't just done the unthinkable.

She'd asked us not to do this to Dean. She said she didn't want to be part of it. Guilt surged through me. I wanted her to live, so I'd done this to save her. Not hurt her.

She drank water.

She lay back down.

She slept.

And just like that, it was over.

Adrian moved to me, his boots scuffing the floor, his breath uneven. I felt his hands on me, tugging me to sit up.

He hugged me like he was trying to hold me together.

I didn't hesitate. I clung to him, my fingers digging into his back, my body shaking violently.

We didn't speak. We didn't need to. We just sat there, gripping each other, crying in the silent hell we had created.

Finally, Adrian pulled back, his red-rimmed eyes filled with something I couldn't name, something raw and broken.

He didn't say anything. He just nodded, and I knew. He understood.

This would haunt us forever.

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