Tension

[Chanel’s POV]

I whimper as pain continues to shoot through my chest, threatening to suffocate and drown me, dragging me into the deepest depths of darkness.

“It’s better this way.” Anthrose says quietly, his voice sad. “Whether you accept it or not, this is how it will be.”

Finished speaking, he turns and heads toward his room while I remain rooted in place. Even though everything in me screams to follow him, to stop him, to demand he take back his rejection, I don’t move. I can’t. I’m too stunned.

“Why?” I whisper, collapsing to my knees and burying my face in my hands. “Why won’t you accept me?”

Sobs begin to wrack my body, painful sobs that rip through me, making it hard to breathe. I don’t know how long I stay there, crying like a fucking baby, releasing all the years of pain that I’ve held so damn close to my heart until there’s nothing left and I feel hollow.

Only when there’s no more tears and no more emotions do I stand and hobble to my room, where I collapse on my bed and fa