Page 71 of Sage Haven
And that last night in his field, something inside me broke, causing me to sink.
The familiar pull of depression clawed at my skin, dragging me down into its suffocating depths.
But this time, it was different.
Worse.
Deeper.
Like I was drowning, and no one even realized I was missing.
Days bled into nights. Time lost all meaning.
I stopped keeping track.
I stopped caring.
I moved through the world like a ghost, detached from everything, even myself.
I stopped leaving my apartment.
Stopped walking the trails.
Stopped reaching for the little pieces of normalcy I’d worked so hard to build since leaving Sanele.
Even music—the one thing that had always given me peace—fell silent in my ears.
There was no point pressing play when every note reminded me of him.
When every lyric twisted the knife deeper.
And Sam…Sam was on cloud nine.
Since the festival, she and Castor had become inseparable, orbiting each other with an energy that lit up every room they entered.
Her happiness was a bright, burning thing.
But instead of letting it warm me, I kept my distance.
I told myself I was being kind.
I didn’t want to dampen her light.
Didn’t want to weigh her down with my darkness.
But the truth was simpler and somehow crueler to me.
Seeing her so fulfilled, so in love, only reminded me of everything I didn’t have.
Everything I might never have.
Especially not with Reich.
So, I avoided her.
Every time she would stop by.
Declined her invitations for coffee.
