Page 65 of Crown Of Blood

Chapter 21

The penthouse is too quiet.

Too big. Too still.

I sit on the edge of the sofa with my phone in my hand and realize that parts of me aren't here at all. They're scattered—somewhere in that school auditorium, sitting beside him, clapping for a little girl who deserves every bit of joy the world can give her.

I should feel peace knowing they're safe.

Instead, it feels like someone's taken a piece of my heart and carried it out the door with them.

The phone pings.

For one breath, everything inside me lifts—

Dante.

But it's not.

Danny:

Glad you finally ran the story about the Morettis instead of the Mayor. He was pleased with me yesterday. Proud of us both.

My stomach turns. Proud?

I stare at the message until the words blur, then type fast, fingers shaking.

Me:

It wasn't me, Danny. The editor knows. The paper's pulling it today.

I hit send and push to my feet, needing to move, needing air. The halls feel longer without their voices filling them. I drift past the doors until I reach Sofia's room.

The bed's a mess of pink blankets and stuffed animals, a tiny kingdom left behind. Her rabbit has toppled off the pillow, so I set it back upright, smoothing its ears the way she does when she talks to it.

"Guard the castle," I whisper, half-smiling.

The phone vibrates again. My heart jumps.

This time itishim.

A picture fills the screen—Sofia onstage, tiny shoulders back, paper crown shining under the lights.

The sight punches the air from my chest.

God, she looks radiant.

And I'm not there.

I trace the edge of the photo with my thumb, swallowing the ache building in my throat.Never again,I think.I will never miss another one of her performances.

My fingers fly before I can stop them.

Me:

Tell her she looks just like the ladybug princess she is.

I press send, and for a second everything feels still again—until another message flashes across the top of the screen.