74

ASTRID

I thought I knew what pain was. I thought I had seen everything there was to see except death. But, maybe death would be a mercy compared to this, maybe it was the only way to stop all these from happening. Maybe Hunter was right to want to kill me. Maybe that would stop the endless spiral of pain and confusion and hurt I was drowning in.

How could they have hidden this from me all these years? The people I trusted the most, the people who were supposed to love me unconditionally had built my life on a lie. No wonder they had been so quick to throw me aside the second I was locked up and left to it without a second thought. But the biggest question gnawing at me now was- did Justin know? Was he aware? Was he part of the deception? Could he have kept something this important from me, just like everyone else? I was sure his parents knew.

The thought of him knowing tore through my chest as I stared at the picture on my phone, my vision blurring from the tears that were streaming