Chapter 10

"Ezra, don't go!" Maya's sudden, desperate scream shattered the noise of the banquet hall like shards of glass cutting through the air. She staggered and threw herself against the carved table's corner just to stop him, slamming her head so hard that blood gushed down her forehead. Shattered porcelain embedded itself into her palms, but she stubbornly reached toward Ezra's retreating figure as her trembling fingers stretched desperately in his direction. The crowd instinctively pulled back, leaving only the sounds of blood dripping onto the polished floor to be heard. Ezra turned around and met Maya's gaze. Those doe eyes that always held a trace of a smile were now filled with tears. Blood clung to her eyelashes, and her pale lips trembled as she murmured in a broken voice, "Ezra, don't leave me… You're all I have left. I'll do anything if you just come back… Please…" Seeing Maya acting like this, Gabriel's eyes welled up as he clutched his bag. "Her medication is still with me…