Azriel watched, unblinking.
Even as his eyes burned, it was nothing compared to the ache of his bleeding heart.
He watched the red trickle down his chin. He fought the urge to scream at Leo—to tell him to shut up, to look at them one last time.
'I feel sick.'
"A son who was a liar, a mother who turned away, a father who ran, and a daughter who was blind."
The voice came from beside him, emotionless. Azriel's other self looked at Leo, frozen on the couch, with an unsettling calm.
Time had stopped again.
Azriel glanced at the hateful figure, his eyes burning with the urge to cut that throat. Yet his other self remained indifferent—or worse, aware but uncaring.
The other self's gaze turned toward Azriel, lips curving into a slight smile.
"It's time to expose another lie..."
Azriel's confusion deepened as the world around him shattered, then reformed. Only this time... they were no longer in the apartment.