Page 40 of Stained In Sin (The Twisted Trilogy #1)

Evelyn

I’m weightless.

The wind rushes past my ears, tugging my hair as the clear blue sky stretches above. My arms flailed once, then stilled. I’m not scared. I’m numb.

I feel nothing— only peace.

I stand at the edge of a cliff, curling my toes over the jagged rocks. I stare down at the rocky water below. I take a deep breath and feel my heart slow.

The water calls my name, urging me to let go. I do.

I fall.

I feel the weight of gravity pushing me down towards the rocks. I close my eyes, ready for the pain.

Except— there is no pain. I’m met with softness—a warmth against my skin like sun-kissed silk. I open my eyes.

I’m not dead. I’m lying in a field of sunflowers. Tall golden stalks surround me, all facing the light as if they worship the sun. It smells of honey and earth. A breeze dances around us, and the petals lift.

Everything glows.

I curl my fingers into the soil below me. It’s real. I’m safe. Maybe this i s heaven—if it’s not, it’s just as close.

I sense a shift in the air. A chill flows through the air. Not the kind of chill that instills fear—no. It’s the kind of chill that flutters deep inside your stomach.

I turn my head and I see him. He sees me.

Dante.

He kneels beside me. His calm demeanor is refreshing. He is free of blood and sin, but his presence remains.

His voice is soft and wrong in the best way.

“I love you,” he says to me softly.

Three words. He spoke to them as if they were a promise. Or maybe a lie.

Anger and longing mix in my chest, fighting over which one my mind will choose.

But I can’t choose because the light is changing. The blue sky is fading into a pale shade. The flowers are drooping, and the warmth bleeds away.

His face starts to flicker like a dying projection.

“No. No, not yet.”

I reach my hand out to feel his warmth one last time, but he’s gone.

I’m cold.

I’m dead.