Russ's friends must have panicked. The chat exploded with random messages, desperately trying to bury the recalled texts beneath a flood of spam.
I looked up.
The two of them were walking away side by side. The girl clutched the framed portrait, bouncing with each step. Russ looked... happy. Genuinely happy. His arm swept around her, pulling her close until their silhouettes merged into one. She playfully punched his chest, then broke free and ran.
He chased after her.
I gripped my phone until my knuckles ached. Tilted my head back. Stared at the sky. Blinked rapidly until the tears dissolved into nothing.
Then I lowered my head and started organizing my supplies.
That's when my phone rang.
Sapphire Harris.
"Come back to the estate. Now."
The switch whistled through the air and cracked across my back. It had been soaking in salt water—a method that prevented infection but amplified every nerve ending into screaming agony.
Sapphire's face was carved from stone as she brought down the second lash.
"Can't even keep one man satisfied. Useless woman."
Crack.
"You've driven my son into the arms of other women. His father and I should never have let you through our doors."