ham

ago, overlooking Central Park, designing every square inch to be our marital home. Now, the silence inside was a physical weight that t

em to get the hell out. The heavy front door clicked shut, the dea

over the city, the wind howling as thick sheets of rain batte

th and tipped the bottle back, letting the raw, burning liquid pour down my throat. The alcohol scorched my esophagus, but it did nothing t

oward the far wall. I grabbed the edge of a massive canva

ess, looking at me with eyes full of a soft, foolish trust. I dropped to my knees on the hardwood floor. My

ed behind my eyes like a strobe light.

nails through my ribs. I let out a raw, agonizing scream. I grabbed a solid b

tatue with all my strength at the mil

ounced off the reinforced pane, leaving a massive, spider

h my skin. I punched it again, and again. My knuckles split open, the flesh tearing as hot blood smeared across the cold, wet glass. I didn't feel the

. With a final, deafening crack, the load-bearing frame gave

ling wind blasted into the penthouse, instantly soaking the

s, cutting down to the bone. Blood pooled beneath me, mixing with the cold rainwater. I lay there, staring up at the dark, weeping sky

rity team rushed in, their boots crunching on

*

nna

.C. toward New York. I sat in the plush velvet seat of my private cabin, the reading light

picked it up. It was a heavily encrypted message from the m

It was a high-res

letely soaked in blood. His arms were wrapped in makeshift tournique

tor mentally collapsed, severe self-harm, sent

photo. She gasped loudly, her hand flying to her mouth. She lo

a single beat. My breathing remained perfectly even. I did

rd. I typed exactly two letters, my face an absolute mask of indi

ea