REGRET IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD

Chapter: 21

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TALON:

The weight of the world pressed down on my chest as I lay in bed, the familiar scent of my sheets mingling with the metallic tang of my tears. I didn’t care that I was ruining them; I barely cared about anything anymore. All that mattered was this suffocating grief that wrapped itself around me like a shroud. I let the tears fall, my face buried in the fabric, wishing that if I cried enough, I could wash away the memory of that fateful afternoon—the moment I had bitten into Altair.

Regret clawed at me, a relentless beast gnawing at my insides. I should have known better. I should have fought harder against the instinct that drove me to him. If only I had turned away, if only I had resisted the urge, maybe I wouldn’t be drowning in this sea of anguish. The blood on my cheeks was a harsh reminder of my choice, each drops a witness to my weakness. The weight on my chest grew heavier still, threatening to crush me from the inside out. My hands shook uncontr