Page 260 of Maddening Fixation

My voice sounded different.

Rougher. Uncertain.

She slowly lifted her head.

And when her eyes finally found mine, I wished they hadn’t.

Because there was no anger there.

No hatred.

Only pain.

A pain I had caused.

Tears slipped down her dirt-streaked face, leaving clean trails behind them.

For a moment, she simply stared at me.

Then she spoke.

“Our child is dead.”

My entire body went still.

No.

I stared at her.

Unable to process what I had just heard.

Her fingers curled weakly against her lap.

Silent tears continued falling.

“Is that enough for you, Romeo?”

Her voice remained soft and broken.

My heart stopped.

The room seemed to disappear.

There was only Juliet.

And the devastating reality standing between us.

The child I had doubted.

The child I had accused her of using against me.

Gone.

And for the first time, I felt the full weight of what I had done.

I had not just hurt Juliet.

I had destroyed something innocent.