Unsaid Goodbyes

Annalise>>

"Your Grace…"

Hannah's gentle voice seeped through the fortress of blankets I had built around me, but I remained still, feigning sleep. Maybe if I didn't move, she would leave. But she didn't.

"Your Grace…" Softer this time. More hesitant. More patient. But I didn't respond, I couldn't. I was sleep deprived, angry, confused, sad, irritated all at once.

My mind spun like a raging storm—no, a tornado. And at the center of it all was him.

Atlas. That dumbass.

I gritted my teeth, the mere thought of him stirring a sharp, aching frustration in my chest. He was the reason I felt like this—like absolute shit. I didn't sign up for this. Not to be rejected. Not to be ignored. A small grunt slipped past my lips before I could stop it.

"Your Grace…"

Damn it. I had forgotten she was still here. Guilt curled around my ribs, tight and suffocating. I should answer her. I should, but I just wanted to be left alone.