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I stopped My lip wobbled, and I bit down on it, drawing blood, focusing on the pain It helped o

Fox dragged his hands through his hair "Go on Don’t stop I want to know all of it"

"A ency inhaler didn’t work She was announced clinically dead in the a her back, but stole her from me for hours to perfor with her I threatened to burn the hospital to the ground if they didn’t letthe exact afternoon as if it replayed in perfect detail beforeon red Jell-O She ake, rosy cheeked, and happy Allfear disappeared, and I felt as if life had finally given ood news I’d done endless research on asthet older I stupidly thought that the episode signalled the end, and she would never have another one again

"That was before the doctors took " My hands clenched and all the rage I’d bottled-up exploded

I glared at Fox, not caring my cheeks were stained with tears I wanted to kick and punch and kill "That was the day they told nosed my child That she had Pleuropul they were suffocating her day by day They said operating wasn’t an option as it’d spread to other parts of her body They said the only choice was chemo, and that would only extend her life by a fewsorry and offeredThey spoke about her as if she was already dead!"

Fox hadn’t moved His body looked immobile, locked to the carpet His eyes flashed with such livid anger I feared he’d track down the doctors and kill them himself

"That was the day I died I accepted your contract for a stupid fantastical drea that has the power to reduce white blood cells and stop the cancer fro But even if it worked, Clara is riddled with it It lives in her blood Killing her every second That’s why I agreed to sellback And that’s why I didn’t want to tell you I didn’t want to ad and I couldn’t save her No matter what hope I chased I would fail"

Fox tore his eyes fro to the mural of the black fox on the wall His hands opened and closed by his thighs "How long?"

My throat closed up

"Muh, do you think I can have a puppy?"

Everything Clara ever wanted was in the future When she was old enough When she’d grown up I never had the heart to tell her that there would be no Pegasus or puppy or university education

Shit, I couldn’t do this I would never be ready to say goodbye

He spun to faceevery muscle in my body, I voiced Clara’s death sentence "A few months"

"Fuck!" Fox whirled around and punched the wall so hard his fist disappeared through the painting "And you didn’t think to tellknow? For fuck’s sake! I’irl! You allowedfull well I was about to lose the one thing curinglared at hinored ave ht I had a future A fucking faht for I was doing it all for her!"

He charged toward er of death and destruction

I braced myself for his wrath Killso strong and invincible Then so cracked inside hi, unthinking ave hi down his hard won eressed terrorized ive up You love her Don’t abandon her when she needs you the hed coldly "You think I’ her You’ve tornheart out How a so e love dies!"

"Mummy?"

My heart dropped intoin confusion "Why is your hand over ht of tears "No reason, sweetheart" I reers around the heat residue fro her She looked worn out, pale, and entirely too thin Her lips had never lost their blue tinge and she felt frail, unsubstantial, as if her soul had already begun the journey to leave

My body seized No…

"When I grow up, I want a sister I want to dress her, play with her, and teach her all about horses"

I couldn’t breathe past the rock in my throat

Clara’s brown eyes flickered upward to Fox "Were you fighting?"

Fox i out to take her tiny hand "No, Clara We weren’t fighting" His eyes swirled with hurricanes and snow, glistening with rage andThat’s all, little one"

She sucked in a wheezy, unfulfilling breath Another cough bombarded her sain, and we stayed frozen I dared to hope she’d fallen asleep, but her little lips parted and a darker tinge of blue returned

My heart ripped itself out, vein by vein, artery by artery asShe’d never looked so wraith-like, so ghost-like, so…