Chapter 145

Sofia. There were moments in life that split time in half—before and after. Before the phone call, I had been warm, sated, wrapped in the arms of a man who once left me but resurfaced. I had been lost in the illusion of love, letting myself forget, just for one night, the world I belonged to. The pain of knowing what I was and who I was didn't make hurt any less. After the phone call, there was only the cold. It seeped into my bones, numbing me, robbing me of breath, of thought, of everything except the echo of Nadei’s voice. "It’s Aurelio." "He’s alive… but he’s in a coma." The words were carved into my fucking skull. A brand. A wound that would never fucking heal. Like that memory of Adrian- it had been years since I have thought about him- grabbing me by the throat and slamming me against the fridge, I was caught trying to get something to eat, tyring to scouge anything to eat besides the stale bread and disgusting noodle soup he sent with Maximus earlier that day. I sat there, froz