ca

supposed to be

hered at one long table, an uneasy

xiled from the conversation,

the afternoo

ok a

d ever done, but I couldn't b

his w

blee

was draining away. Yet, I sat

Emmanuel gave me. They felt

rought ou

i c

cloying mix of spic

lergic t

y all

hony kn

cally for me. In the past, he used to obsessively

exhaustion, I look

ed safe

ok a

tion was

ut. My lips swelled,

dn't b

clawed at my neck

shattered against the table, the sou

e looke

sound barely escaping m

eyes with

aring rig

k, devoid of reco

reached int

d out th

my chest, brigh

tood

idn't wa

ked to

a dramatic, t

ng a hand to her forehead.

ped in h

was painfully, in

ncapped t

said loudly, his voice thi

needle into

in genuin

the medici

ting my li

to th

y vision, obscuring the

wouldn't come, my ch

l was w

, looking down at me dying on t

the menu," he said dismis

started

ess was c

me, it wasn

as d

saw the shoes of the

e call

Anth

Emma

r. A st

t thing I saw was Anthony

comfort

I suff

dn't

rived in a blur o

ave me

ngs o

ir, and it bu

d me onto

back at t

re stil

n't stop

sed m

ness wa

ar was

s only t

my empty

my swoll

anted

ied to

k

uld

e nurse

lse would rise

he soldier's c

e ready to b

s re

the