Zara
It had been days since Alex whispered those words into my ear, her voice trembling like a thread pulled too tight: Atlas killed Kai.
And ever since, my life has not been the same.
You know how sometimes your gut tells you to expect something terrible, that nagging feeling scratching at the back of your mind—and then when it finally happens, you still aren’t ready? That was me. I’d braced for heartbreak, for betrayal, but knowing and knowing are two different beasts.
The words kept repeating like a curse in my mind.
Atlas.
Talia.
Kai.
The names tangled together until I couldn’t breathe.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Talia’s smile, curving at me in the halls as though she wasn’t tangled in the filth of secrets. I saw Atlas, tall and unshakable, pretending he cared about me
