My heart raced, pounding furiously against my ribcage, desperate to escape the reality that gripped me. I felt as though I was drowning in a sea of my own making, waves of guilt crashing over me relentlessly.
I couldn't breathe. It felt as if the air had thickened into a palpable fog, constricting around my throat — an invisible grip tightening, squeezing, choking. A gasping breath tore from my throat, a sound so raw it felt foreign as if I were a stranger in my own body.
My knees buckled, and the ground rushed up to meet me, cold and unyielding. The impact reverberated through my skull, sending splinters of pain shooting through my body. Everything shimmered in and out of focus.
I was burning on the inside. It was as if someone had set my lungs on fire and as if my heart was being forcibly removed from my chest. I was heaving heavily, unable to breathe. My eyes fell on Killian's still body and tears filled my vision.