I just lay there on the cold floor, watching the pieces flutter down like snowflakes in a graveyard.
Even my hatred felt dull now—numbed by the crushing weight of everything I had lost.
Piper strutted out of the boutique, her heels clicking against the marble like a victory march, leaving nothing but wreckage in her wake.
I dragged myself back to the penthouse… or rather, what used to feel like home.
Once I got there, I tore open every drawer and closet with trembling hands, yanked out every gift Colino had ever given me—the jewelry that now felt like shackles, the designer bags that were nothing but gilded cages, the stuffed animals from those early days when I still believed his lies.
One by one, I threw them all in the trash.
Behind me, I heard footsteps approaching.
Familiar ones.
Colino paused at the door, his hand resting on the carved mahogany frame. "What did you throw away?"
I didn't even look at him.
"Just some garbage I should've gotten rid of long ago."