Page 44 of Gathered Sparkle

“Shit show, indeed,” Koen agrees.

As we make our way downstairs, a heavy weight settles in my chest. The kind that comes from knowing you can’t controleverything, no matter how hard you try. The people I care about are scattered, fragile pieces of a puzzle that don’t quite fit together yet.

Alaric’s fighting his ghosts upstairs. Nicholas is tangled in this mess whether I like it or not. And Sparkle… she’s the thread holding all of us together, even when she’s falling apart herself.

God, I want to fix it all.

To hold everything together with my bare hands if I have to. But some cracks can’t be filled by sheer will. They need time. And trust.

But we’re in this together. We always have been. And no matter how tangled things get, we’ll find a way through.

Maybe thiscanwork.

Maybe we’re not as broken as we think we are.

Because if there’s one thing I know for damn sure, it’s that I’m not giving up. Not on her. Not on Alaric. Not on any of this chaotic, fucked-up family.

We’re all a little damaged, a little rough around the edges.

But fuck it—maybe that’s what makes us fit.

CHAPTER TEN

Alaric

Buzzing wakes me, dragging me from sleep. I blink against the darkness, my head heavy and my limbs sluggish. The only light in the room is the glow of my phone on the nightstand.

Jinx isn’t here anymore, and neither is Sylus. I reach for the phone, the screen almost blinding, and I have to squint to see that I’ve got a text message fromher.

I dare you to text me back.

The words hit me like a punch to the gut.

Even after everything, she’s stillher.

MyTrouble.My girl.

My fucking life.

My chest aches with a longing that’s burned for years, buried beneath guilt and grief, now clawing its way to the surface.

I barely have time to process it before I hear a soft sound outside my door. Muffled, like someone sliding down to sit against it.

I don’t need to look. I know it’s her.

Sylus’s words echo in my head.

“Give her the chance to decide that.”

“You’re both alive, man. The rest, we’ll figure it out.”

With a pounding heart, I take a deep breath and swing my legs off the bed to walk toward the door. When I reach it, I slide down to the floor, pressing my back against the wood. Closing my eyes, I let myself feel the weight of her presence on the other side.

We’re back-to-back, almost like we used to sit, but this time, there’s a barrier between us, a door that feels as insurmountable as the years we’ve spent apart. I listen to her breathing, trying to match mine with hers, creating the illusion that we’re closer than we really are.

Lifting my phone, I type out the words before I can second-guess myself.

You’re on.

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