Page 104 of Wreckage

She asked for the truth.

Troyand I sat near the fire; hands outstretched toward the weak heat, our bodies exhausted from hunger, stress, and the weight of survival.

Elena sat nearby, her blue eyes sharp and too knowing.

She studied us, watching how we avoided looking at her and howour answers had gotten shorter and more clipped every time she asked about the food.

“Tell me the truth,” she said softly.

The words hit hard, cutting through the quiet like a blade. Troy and I shared a look, neither of us speaking. What was there to say?

We both knew what needed to be said. We both knew it would destroy her.

Troy swallowed hard, dragging a hand down his face. Then, after a long pause, he exhaled shakily and said it.

“It’s Dean.”

Elena froze. Her entire body went rigid, her breath catching in her throat. Her wide eyes darted between us, searching for a lie, a joke, for any sign that what she’d just heard wasn’t real.

But we didn’t speak.

We just sat there. And she knew.She knew.

She scrambled to her feet, barefoot, shaking, barely steady on her feet, and ran.

The door slammed open, the icy wind rushing in, swallowing her scream as she sprinted into the snow, her weak ankle buckling beneathher as she went.

“Elena!” Troy was already moving, grabbing his boots, his face twisted in pure panic.

I yanked mine on and took off after them, my heart pounding violently.

She was sobbing, tripping as she pushed herself further into the cold, her arms wrapping around her trembling body, her breath coming in ragged, gasping cries.

Troy caught her first, arms locking tightly around her waist, pulling her against him as she fought him with everything she had.

“Let me go! Let me go!” she screamed, thrashing in his hold.

Her voice was hoarse, her sobs gut-wrenching.

I reached them, grabbing her wrists, trying to steady her as her body convulsed in horror and grief.

“Elena, stop!” I pleaded, my voice cracking.

She kept fighting, her screams breaking something inside of me.

"I didn't want this! Why couldn't you just let me die? Why? I didn't... I didn't want this! Let me die. I want to die. Please..."

I’d never seen her like this. Not when we crashed. Not when she thought she was dying.

Not even when she was on the brink of giving up.

This—this was breaking her in a way nothing else had.

I looked at Troy, frantic and helpless. “What do we do?”

Troy just held her tighter, his face streaked with tears, his entire body shaking.

“We get her inside,” he choked out.

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