Chapter 96 Destroying Me Quietly

• I loathed myself for the depth of my yearning, the way it gnawed at my insides. I wanted so desperately for it to be true that she would walk through that door.
• But I knew better than to entertain such illusions. Hope was a luxury I couldn't afford, especially not on a night like this.
• So, I swallowed hard, forcing down the cravings and dreams that bubbled to the surface, pushing them deep within me, where they could suffocate quietly out of sight. I steeled myself against the harsh reality, burying the desire in the farthest corners of my mind where I kept the rest of the pain. And I continued the procession like nothing inside me had splintered at the edges.