Page 95 of Sage Haven
Istumbled after him,every nerve in my body screaming in protest, like each step was another betrayal. My bare feet scraped against the cold, uneven gravel, and every shift of movement sent fresh agony spiraling through me… But it didn’t matter. I kept moving. Because stopping meant surrendering.
And I couldn’t.
The sharp tang of blood filled the back of my throat, metallic and bitter. I tasted it with every shallow breath I took. My hands—shaking violently—clutched at my sides, as if I could somehow hold myself together. But my body was splintered. My strength fading with every unsteady footstep.
Still, I followed him.
Klay.
His name throbbed inside my skull, a dull, relentless beat, pounding in time with the pain. He was only a few feet ahead of me, his broad shoulders cutting a jagged line against the horizon. The taillights from his car glowed dimly in the distance as he walked towards them.
And he didn’t slow.
He didn’t look back.
Like I wasn’t there.
Then—his voice.
Cold. Sharp as shattered glass against my already broken spirit, “Sage,you’re pathetic.”
The words sliced through me with surgical precision, finding every place I was weakest. My breath hitched. Tears blurred my vision until he was just a smear of darkness moving through even more darkness, losing visibility before me.
But I kept going.
Because I had no choice.
“Klay…” My voice cracked, “You have to believe me. It’s the truth.”
I hated the way I sounded—small. But I couldn’t help it because it was what I had been whittled down to.
He stopped.
And for just a second.
Hope flared—stupid, reckless hope.
I should’ve known better.
As he turned, his stare hit me like a punch to the gut.
Eyes flat and unrecognizable.
There wasn’t even anger there anymore.
Just disgust.
“You probably did this shit to yourself,” he sneered, his lip curling back in a mockery of a smile. “Is that what this is, Sage? Huh? Some desperate little cry for sympathy? Is that how you get attention now?”
I flinched.
The accusation hit harder than his fists ever could.
I tried to speak.
To defend myself.
But the words stuck in my throat, “I… I just…” The rest of it died on my lips.
