chest heaving, listening to the muffled chaos rising from the gardens below. There

, deliberate, almost serene. My pulse, however, still throbbed like a drum against my temples. I t

jerking me back. Griffin. His face was a

voice was a strangled roar, bare

e word calm and steady. Just "yes." No explanation, no

.. you're unbelievable! You can't just go around assaulting

caping my lips. "For finally getting what

humb flying across the screen. "You need to be taught a lesson. A real one." He barked orders into the phone, his voice tight with rage

illed with icy cold water, even in summer. "Griffin, no!" I struggled against his grip, but it was use

g. They dragged me down the elegant marble stairs, past horrified guests who parted li

ry to stop it

frigid depths of the fountain. The shock of the cold water stole my breath. It was like being

the guards would push me back in. "Stop it, Hayden!" Griffin's voice, cold and unyielding, echoed f

teeth chattering, my voice h

d dress clung to me, heavy and unforgiving. My teeth chattered uncontrollably. I could feel the col

come. I looked down, my vision blurring from the cold. Red. Not the red of my dress, but

water, leaned over. "Sir," he said to Griffin, his voice h

ary hesitation. But it passed quickly. "Let her bleed," he said, his voic

e cold, shattered into a million icy pieces. Despair, thick and suffocating, wrapped around m

lf sinking, the dark water closing over my head. The last thing I saw before darkness claime

den