Chapter82: About The Curse

*Maddox* The shadows on the ceiling begin their dance again, and I suddenly feel all alone, like I used to just a few months ago that feels like a lifetime ago. I watch as tree branches turn to fingers, beckoning, pointing, accusing. I would shift my position and look at the wall, but it wouldn’t make any of the problems and responsibilities weighing me down go away. Isla wanted to sleep alone tonight. She said that she needed some time to process everything, and she still wasn’t feeling well. I believe her on both accounts, but it makes me sad. My arms feel empty without her wrapped within them. My chest feels cold and exposed without her head cradled there. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the last few months. I can’t admit that to anyone else, but I can admit it to myself, at least to a degree. I knew that Isla was special the moment I first laid eyes on her, standing in her bedroom with a towel wrapped around her, and especially when I caught a glimpse of her perfect form in the mirr