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CHAPTER 49

Author: JeniGN
last update Last Updated: 2025-01-08 15:09:04
Kirsten’s face was illuminated in the sunlight, her smile soft, her eyes warm. That smile—it was a rare kind of beauty, untainted by the chaos of the world around her. A beauty I hadn't fully appreciated until now.

Without thinking, I set that photo aside.

The others, however, didn’t hold the same pull. They were reminders of things I didn’t want to confront—of Vincent’s growing presence in her life, of moments I had no part in. My jaw clenched as I stood, walking to the fireplace.

I tossed the stack into the flames, the heat licking at the edges before the photos curled and blackened, their glossy surfaces turning to ash. Watching them burn should have felt cathartic, but it only left a void—a gnawing sense of loss I couldn’t explain.

Returning to the table, I picked up the single photo I had saved. Kirsten’s face stared back at me, her expression frozen in that moment of pure happiness. I traced the edge of the photo with my thumb, a strange ache settling in my chest.

“What am I
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