Page 8 of Maddening Fixation

A chair lay overturned.

One of her books had been ripped in half.

Drops of blood stained the white carpet.

My stomach dropped.

Movement flashed at the edge of my vision.

A broad-shouldered figure slipped away with hurried, purposeful steps, disappearing around the corner beyond her adjoining sitting room as though he had no intention of being seen.

I caught only the briefest glimpse.

Barely a heartbeat.

But it was enough.

I’d know that confident stride anywhere. The impeccable fit of the tailored jacket. The effortless swagger that had always bordered on arrogance.

I’d spent my entire life watching him walk those halls.

My brother.

I opened my mouth to shout after him, but instinct pulled me somewhere else.

The window.

Every nerve in my body screamed.

No...

Please...

No...

I stumbled toward the broken glass.

My boots crunched over the shards. Each step felt heavier than the last.

As though some invisible force already knew what I was about to see and wanted to spare me.

I reached the edge.

Looked down.

And my world ended.

Eight floors below, in the centre of the stone courtyard...

...lay Sarah.

Her body was twisted at an impossible angle.

One arm bent beneath her.

Her blonde hair spread around her like silk soaked in crimson.

Blood pooled beneath the back of her shattered skull, slowly creeping across the ancient stone.