Chapter 116

• "So... it was all a lie? Everything I knew, everything I've been told, it was all a lie." Jasmine's voice was barely above a whisper, but the weight of her words hung heavy in the air. Her eyes, clouded with pain, bore into Nicolai's, searching for something, anything that could make sense of it all.
• Nicolai hesitated, then reached for her hand, gently placing his over hers. He expected her to pull away, to reject the comfort he was offering. But she didn't. What he didn't know was how desperately she needed it, how much she longed for something steady in the storm raging within her.
• "It's my fault." He admitted, voice thick with regret. "If you hadn't seen us... if you hadn't run out that day... you never would have gotten into that accident. I wouldn't have lost you." His breath hitched. "I wouldn't have—"