Chapter 43: The Monster in Me
Nelos
I sink next to Shaye. Despite her small smile, there is a weariness in her eyes that cuts me deeper than any knife I've ever had stabbed into me. I wouldn't blame her if she hates me, if she's scared me, of what I've become.
"What happened?" I ask, my throat going dry at the thought of her hurt.
"I got lost on my way back to my cell and was jumped by three prisoners." She trembles, but she pushes back when I lean forward.
I know I need to give her time, but I want so fucking badly to hold her and kiss her and put the past behind us to start again, to make her understand that I feel like fragments of our past remain embedded in my heart as a constant reminder of who we were before all this is splintering.
"What happened to you?" she asks, her eyes searching mine for answers that I don't want to give.