Page 46 of The House of Quiet

Chapter Thirty-Nine

A Forest Bereft

Forest knows how carefully he has to choose his words. What damage he can do if he doesn’t.

But what damage is left to be done? If Birdie is gone, everything else is, too. Nothing matters to him without her. He leans close, pressing his lips against her ear.

“Come back to me,” he whispers. “Please don’t leave me again.” He pauses. He has to be a better man than his father. He has to be less selfish, if he’s ever going to deserve the love Birdie has already given him.

With every part of what’s left of his soul resisting, he adds, “Unless it’s what you want.”

The last tension in Birdie’s body disappears. She goes as limp and still as death in his arms.