Hazel’s POV
“That’s not what I’m saying!”
My voice cracked as the words left my mouth, sharper than I intended, but I didn’t take them back. I couldn’t. Everything inside me felt too tight, too stretched, like one more push and I would snap completely.
Nicholas turned slowly, his eyes dark and stormy, jaw clenched so hard I could see the muscle ticking. “Then what are you saying?” he demanded.
“I’m saying—” I stopped, shaking my head in frustration, my hands curling into fists at my sides. “I’m saying innocent people are suffering, Nicholas. The lakes are dry. People need water.”
“And I need you alive,” he shot back immediately.
The force of his words hit me like a slap.
Silence fell between us, thick and suffocating.
I swallowed hard. “You think I don’t understand that?”
“It does
