Her broken cry still trembled in my mouth when I tore it away, gasping as though I had drowned in her and surfaced again. My fingers slipped free of her, wet and trembling, carrying the mark of her undone innocence. She sagged against the cold marble, her lashes heavy with tears, her breath unsteady. She looked at me as though I had stolen her soul.

A weight pressed against my chest, heavier than armour. My voice came out hoarse, ragged, yet I forced the words.