Page 130 of Sage Haven
The weight settled in my chest like a concrete slab, thick and suffocating. Rage swelled underneath it, sharp and violent, an ache I couldn’t dull.
This was real.
This had really happened.
I stood there for a long moment, staring past Castor like if I stayed still long enough, I could undo it all. Reverse time. Change her past. Rewrite what had happened to her.
But I couldn’t.
And I was going to have to face her knowing that.
I stepped out of my office, my boots hitting the hardwood with heavy, deliberate strikes as I made my way toward her room.
Each step was a war.
Each breath, a battle.
I willed my heart to slow, to stay steady. But inside, the storm kept building.
She had trusted us with the worst pieces of herself, and now I had to act like I wasn’t breaking under the weight of them.
I paused outside her door, inhaling slowly, grounding myself in that rhythm like I had done a hundred times before going into a fight.
But this wasn’t a fight I was ready for.
I reached for the handle.
And pushed the door open.
The fading light of dusk bled through the window, washing the room in a muted glow. She was curled in the corner by the window, knees to her chest, arms wrapped tight around them as if she was holding herself together by sheer force of will.
At the sound of my boots crossing the threshold, her head lifted.
Her green eyes met mine, tired but sharp.
She managed a small smile. Fragile and brittle.
Yet, it cut me deeper than any blade ever had.
I tried to give her one back, but it felt hollow and forced.
I knew it didn’t reach my eyes, and she saw it too.
Her gaze dropped.
“Why am I here?” Her voice was quiet, but not weak.
I studied her, watching the way her hands flexed against her arms as if bracing for another blow.
But she wasn’t done asking questions.
And neither was I.
“Answer the rest of my questions,” I said, keeping my tone steady, “… and I’ll tell you everything.”
She nodded. Slowly.
And it was like watching the last embers of a fire die out.
