CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-EIGHT THE HURT VS THE LOVE

DAPHNE'S POV I found myself stumbling to a stop, my legs suddenly too weak to carry me any further. My knees hit the ground, and I didn't care about the dirt or the pain. All I could feel was the overwhelming sorrow that had been buried under my anger and confusion. "Why, Javion?" I whispered to the empty air, my voice breaking. "Why did you have to come back and make everything so much harder?" The memories of our laughter, our love, were now mixed with the stark reality of our present. The thought of him, beaten and imprisoned, tore at my heart. I knew he was suffering, and it was because of me. Because he had chosen mercy, a mercy that had cost us our son. I hugged myself tightly, as if I could hold myself together through sheer willpower. But it wasn't enough. The sobs came, wracking my body with their intensity. I was alone in this place, surrounded by enemies, and yet it was my own emotions that were my worst tormentors. "Damn you, Javion," I choked out between sobs.