ARIA’S POV

“Kill who?” I asked, my voice sharp with disbelief. He nonchalantly pointed toward the girls. Their wide, wet eyes clung to me, silent pleas trembling on their lips.

I picked up the knife, its weight heavy in my hands as I stepped toward them. Tears streamed down their faces as they begged me not to do it. The pain in their eyes pierced me more deeply than the blade ever could.

My hands shook as I cut through the ropes binding them, the strands snapping one after another. ...