A sickening dread churned in his stomach as he turned the body over. The blood drained from his face when he recognized her—it was Marianne.

Lucian’s cries echoed through the forest, a mournful sound filled with anguish and regret. He looked down at his bloodstained hands, trembling as the weight of his actions crushed him, he could feel blood in his mouth. In his grief, he decided there was only one way to end his torment—he would take his own life.

But fate had other ...