My vision swam, but I focused on him. It took a few more beats before his eyes widened, shock seeping in like a rising tide. His lips parted.
“You…you were in the dorm fire,” he said slowly, like it still didn’t make any sense.
I nodded.
His hands dropped from my face, and the cold night air slapped at my skin. I winced as he took a step back.
“You were in the fire,” he repeated, stunned.
There wasn’t anything I could say to make it better, so I stood there and cried, suffocating in the sorrow and guilt.
Vaguely, I heard the SUV door opening, but neither Roman nor I moved. He stared at me as if it were the first time he was seeing me. I didn’t know how to interpret his emotions under the shock.
“Is something wrong?”
August’s voice cut through the tension, and my head swiveled toward him. His gaze bounced between the two of us, brow furrowed.
I cleared my throat and wiped at my face, forcing the tears back. “I’m fine,” I said, voice thick but steady.
I glanced at Roman. He was fixed on me, looking like I’d splintered something in him. There wasn’t anything I could do about it.
“Are you…ready to go?” August sounded unsure.
I forced a smile that hurt. “Yes.”
But I didn’t move right away. Roman’s stare was like a weight pressing on me. I waited for him to stop me, to say something—anything.
He did not.
August was staring at him, but I couldn’t bring myself to look.
“Goodbye, Roman,” I said softly.
And then I sprinted to the SUV and got inside.
25
Palmer
Iwokeupfeelingdrainedand groggy in a room I didn’t recognize. Hailey was curled against my side, warm and deep in sleep. It was the only thing that brought me comfort. I gazed around the space, the memories slowly coming back.
I was at the safe house.
And Roman was back in Ember Hollow.
I vaguely recalled arriving at the secluded house—which was really more of a mansion in the mountains—late in the night. I’d fallen asleep, my eyes red and swollen from silently crying, and August had woken me and showed me to this room.
The house was stunning in its modern design, lots of stark clean lines and metal accents. I hadn’t gotten the best look in the dark, but it seemed like we were quite high up, and nestled between the mountains.
I glanced down at Hailey and pushed back some of the curls sticking to her forehead. She’d been excited to see her grandparents and uncles, but I wasn’t sure how well she was going to handle being away from Roman. I hoped she wouldn’t be too sad.
Because I was sad enough for the both of us.
My teeth caught my lower lip as the tears surfaced, thinking about last night—Roman’s shock and the way he’d let his hands fall from cradling my face. As if I were something he no longer wanted.
My ribs constricted, strangling my lungs. The thought hurt so much.
I had promised myself that I wouldn’t feel this way when the end came, but here I was, mourning something that had never really been mine. I was a fool. Always had been.
