Chapter 23 - 24
Calhoun’s POV~
Weeks had chewed Carmela down to bones and shadows. When I pushed open the basement door, the stench of damp concrete and her rotting perfume clung to the air. She was curled in the corner like a broken thing, trembling, eyes wide in the sudden light.
The moment she saw me, she scrambled forward on hands and knees, filthy nails clawing the floor, reaching for me like I was her salvation.
“Calhoun please... I’m sorry,” her voice cracked, ragged from thirst and sleepless nights. “I swear I’ll disappear. I’ll leave the Pack, you’ll never hear my name again. Just... just don’t leave me here. I can’t take it anymore!”
Her face was a ruin. Mascara smeared in black rivers down her cheeks, lips split and trembling, designer silk now nothing but rags.
Once, I had thought she was beautiful. Once, I had been fool enough to believe in that beauty. Now, kneeling there, she looked exactly like what she’d always been a parasite.
My jaw locked. I wanted to feel pity, but all I felt was fire gnawing my chest. This was the woman I had let close enough to nearly destroy Elodie. The woman I had trusted when I should have crushed her throat the moment I saw through her act.
My voice came out cold, and flat. “Pathetic.”
Her tears fell faster, body shaking with frantic sobs, but I didn’t move. I let her drown in her own desperation. Then I dropped the folder at her knees. It hit the concrete with a hollow slap.
She froze. Her trembling hands opened it, and as her eyes ran over the photographs, the color drained from her face.