Page 175 of His To Erase
“Fuck.”
I drag a hand over my mouth as the truth settles like a blade between my ribs.
I’ve been treating her like she’s just a piece on the board, but if Travis is right—if the missing years, the name change, the ghost trail all add up—then Ani didn’t get caught in someone else’s crossfire.
Which means I’ve been digging in the wrong place, watching the wrong angles, and she’s been bleeding for it the entire time.
Goddamn it.
I’ll have to pull back. Rework every angle. Rethink every move I’ve made since the moment I laid eyes on her. But more than that—I need to know who else knows.
There’s more at play than I accounted for. Too many shadows. Too many missing pieces I didn’t bother to chase—because I thought she was part of them.
“FUCK.”
I slam my palm against the desk, wood rattling beneath the weight of it, and drag a hand down my face, jaw tight enough to crack.
I’ve been so goddamn focused on revenge I didn’t see what was right in front of me.
Ani
Iwake up to my phone buzzing violently against the nightstand like it’s pissed I’m still alive. My first thought? Earthquake. Second thought? Sarah.
I groan, swiping blindly until I find the screen. “If this isn’t about free alcohol or murder, I’m hanging up.”
“You sound like you got hate-fucked by a lumberjack and left for dead.”
I blink, sitting up slowly. My thighs ache, and my mouth tastes like sin. “Wow. Nailed it in one.”
“Jesus. Was it him?”
I glance around the empty room and there’s no evidence he ever existed outside my thighs. “Define him.”
“Oh my god it was. Tattoo Dick finally put his mouth where his growls are.”
“Sarah!”
“Don’t Sarah me! I’ve been waiting for this feral man to rail the trauma out of you since you met him. Spill. Everything.”
I rub my temple. “It was… a lot.”
“Good a lot or needs-exorcism a lot?”
I fall back against the pillow. “Do I sound like someone who could walk in a straight line today?”
Sarah exhales like she’s witnessing history. “I’m so proud of you. Did he growl?”
“He did worse.”
She pauses. “I’m lighting a candle in your honor.”
“Please don’t. I’m already going to hell, I don’t need your help decorating it.”
“Did you make him breakfast? Is he naked next to you? Are you emotionally ruined?”
I glance at the untouched space beside me. “No, no, and shut up.”
“Ah. The post-dick abandonment spiral. Iconic.”
