Victor's POV

I could feel the weight of her words bearing down upon me, each one settling deeper into the hollow of my belly. I'd felt frustration. I'd felt anger. But this? This wasn't like them. This wasn't something I'd ever planned for. Not by a mile.

I watched her talk, her eyes not flinching. She did not sound malicious, only the pain—which hung around like a knife, slicing through the space between us. And I knew that I was the one holding the knife. We hung silently for a moment, ...