Chapter 142: The Weight of Us
Lorraine’s POV
He staggered back like I’d struck him.
No, not just struck.
Like I’d shattered something.
Kieran’s crimson eyes locked on mine, wide, disbelieving. There was a crack in his face now. Not a physical one, no, but a fracture in his carefully carved composure. He looked at me like he didn’t know what I was. Like I’d reached into the very core of him and yanked something raw and buried to the surface.
"Avelar..."
I didn’t repeat it. I didn’t need to.
The name still hung in the air, echoing like a ghost.
Kieran’s lips parted, but no words came. Only a choked gasp.
Then he screamed.
He dropped to his knees, one hand clutching his chest, the other gripping a handful of dirt and crushing it like it might anchor him to the earth. His scream wasn’t just sound. It was grief. A howl of something ancient and agonizing breaking free.
It tore through the air like a storm unleashed.