The shards of my trust in Carson were sharp. They dug into my skin with every breath I took.
My stomach clenched.
A familiar voice came from behind me. “Annabel.”
I didn't turn around. “Go away.”
He came closer. “Please, just listen to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I said, my voice thin, a whisper of a broken thing.
“There is. I had no other choice. It was the only way I could get close to them. The only way I could protect you.”
I finally turned around. He looked so desperate. His eyes, once so bright and full of life, were now shadowed with a familiar fear that I had known so well.
“Protect me? You chose them over me,” I said. My voice was no longer a whisper. It was a roar.
He ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit I knew well. “No, I didn’t. I swear. I did it f
