Chapter Forty-Four
Malachi's POV
Maurice drove in silence. He knew better than to speak when I looked like this.
Dante and Rose followed in the car behind us. Mavis and Violet stayed back to manage the Dark City headquarters. Everything moving according to plan.
Except the most important part.
I'd lost her.
The thought repeated in my head like a death sentence. Over and over until it was the only thing I could hear.
I'd lost Alicia. Lost her trust. Lost her before I'd ever really had her.
My heart hammered against my ribs. Not from fear. From something worse. From the realization that the one thing I wanted most in this world had slipped through my fingers.
And it was my own fault.
I stared out the window, watching the landscape blur past. My reflection stared back. Cold. Empty. Exactly what I deserved.
She'd trusted me. Finally. After weeks of walls and defenses and careful distance, she'd let me in. Had given herself to me completely.
