Page 221 of Sage Haven
"Sage…" His voice was thick. Choked.
I reached for him. Grasped his hand like it was the only thing keeping me tethered to this world.
“I don’t want a life without you," I whispered. "Even a long, safe life wouldn’t be worth it. I’d rather have a short, beautiful one—even if it’s filled with pain and fear."
I took a shaky breath, steadying myself as I held his gaze. "The only reason people fear losing something is because it means they had something worth keeping. If I don’t have something worth losing… what’s the point of any of it?"
Silence fell again. Thick. Crushing.
But this time, it wasn’t empty.
It was heavy with truth. My truth.
"Life is suffering," I whispered. "It’s inevitable. But I’d rather suffer for something that matters than exist everyday in something filled with emptiness." I smiled through the tears, through the ache. "If I’m your wildflower… then that makes you the light. How can I survive without it?"
Reich inhaled sharply. His fingers twitched, reaching for me. Before they hesitated. Before he clenched his fist again, fighting the very thing he wanted.
And that’s when I knew. Nothing was going to change.
Even as he pulled me into his arms, the embrace felt hollow.
Not a promise. An apology.
I shoved away from him, the weight of it all collapsing over me. My knees hit the floor.
The sound of bone on hardwood cracked through the room, but I barely felt it. Sobs racked my body, raw and ugly.
I had given him everything.
Every fractured, vulnerable piece of myself.
And he had put me back together.
Only to destroy me all over again.
Why did he have to be everything?
Why did he have to make me whole just to tear me apart?
When our eyes met, I swore I saw forever in them.
But forever wasn’t real. Was it?
Maybe this was reckless. Maybe it was madness. But I had to do something.
So, I stood. Wiped my face with trembling hands and walked away—out of the room, down the hall.
He didn’t follow.
Of course he didn’t. He wanted me gone. Needed me gone.
But I wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily.
My fingers curled around an object I had found in the basement a week ago.
Its weight was solid. Cold.
I had no idea what I was going to do.
