NATHANIEL FELT as through someone has carved out his inside. He felt empty—no, he corrected himself, it wasn't an emptiness he was experiencing, but he couldn't define the wide range of emotions that raged through him.
He abruptly dropped his arms, releasing Samantha. Wordlessly they stepped away from each other, not one word escaped their lips. He noted how swollen her lips were, how moist. Her beautiful, multifaceted eyes were wide and staring up at him.
Nathaniel wanted to tell her he was sorry, beg her forgiveness, but he couldn't make himself do it. She looked at him, unblinking, her features devoid of colour, totally pale.
Then, just when he was about to find the courage to talk to her, she edged her way past him and hurried down the hallway to her bedroom. The sound of her
