'No…'
Julius whispered as his knees gave way beneath him, collapsing before the shattered remains of the sculpture.
Countless fragments of white marble lay scattered across the workshop floor, each one reflecting the afternoon light that filtered through the dusty windows.
The statue he had poured every waking moment into over the past seven days was gone.
The delicate outline of her face had been split apart, the carefully carved features reduced to broken stone that could never be restored.
With trembling hands, he reached toward the largest fragment and gently brushed away the dust coating its surface, as though afraid that even the slightest force would erase what little remained.
Tears streamed freely down his face while his fingers caressed the fractured marble. The face was no longer recognizable.
He had only managed to complete its outline before everything was destroyed, yet even in its ruined state, he could still see her.
