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I look around the bright hospital room and see that everyone has cleared out… except him. Dante.

He stands in the corner of the room. His presence is muted. He seems… different.

“I—I’m—,” my voice raspy and cracking. My throat fucking burns.

He cuts me off, stepping towards me from the corner.

“No.”

He sits on the bed next to me, tucking my hair behind my ear softly.

“I’m sorry.”

His eyes are glassy, as if he had been crying.I open my mouth to speak, and he begins once again.

“I need to tell you what happened. The truth.”

Tears prick my eyes as I remember how I ended up here. Amara is dead. Astra was stabbed. I took the pills. I tried to end it all.

“My father made me choose… I had to pick to kill Amara, or kill you… I could never kill you.” A tear rolls down his cheek.

“If I didn’t, he would have had someone else do it.” His admission sends a wave of disgust through my empty stomach.

“I didn’t have anything to do with Astra. We are looking into it.”

I cry silently as I watch Dante unravel before me.He always cared. He loves you.

“W-who found me?” my voice hoarse and barely audible.

He looks at me with hurt in his eyes.

No.

The tears roll faster. My body trembles as I cry to myself.

“I watched you take them on the cameras after you sent me the text. I hurried, but you took too many.” His voice is low and strangled.

I cry as he gently lifts me into his chest. He rubs his palm over my back, soothing me.

“I-I thought I wasn’t going to see you again,” I cry softly.

He kisses my head and whispers, “It’s okay. I’m here.”

He releases me and I lie back against the bed.

“Is Astra okay?”

He nods.

Relief washes my system clean. At least I saved her.

“I killed my father,” his words hang in the air between us. The hairs on my body rise at his chilling admission. The world stills for a moment as I search his eyes for answers.

“W-why?”

“For you.” His words are chilling.

“B-but why?” I can barely get the words out.