"Brother… why are you saying this…?"
My voice cracked like fragile glass under pressure. It came out quitter than I meant, choked with disbelief and panic. My vision blurred, not from the weather, but from the flood of questions swelling in my mind, so many… all at once. Each one twisted like thorns, tightening… more and more…
Why would he say that? What did he mean, bodies?
My fingers trembled. My chest rose and fell too fast, too sharp. I could not seem to steady my breath. And my eyes… my eyes burned. It was that horrible kind of ache, the kind you get when your body knows you are about to cry before your heart accepts it.
He chuckled.
A light, casual sound. As if he had not just torn my entire world apart.
Then he turned his back to me, like he always did when he did not want me to see something. That subtle rejection sent a stab through my chest sharper than any blade. I knew this feeling too well… I have lived it too many times.
This… this is another betrayal.
