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Chapter 256

Chapter 256

-Ava’s POV-

I let out a shuddering breath, my fingers tightening around his hand. It felt cold, unnaturally still, and yet, somehow, I still expected him to squeeze back. To open his eyes. To scowl at me the way he always did when I challenged him. But there was nothing.

Silence.

Emptiness.

I swallowed against the lump in my throat, willing myself to be stronger than this, to be harder than this. But the moment I spoke again, my voice cracked.

“You were supposed to fix things.”

The words felt like acid on my tongue.

“I hated you for so long, and some part of me still does. But I would take us continuing how we’ve always been. For me me seeing you as the enemy and fighting with you than this.”

My chest tightened as I stared at him, his face slack, peaceful in a way that felt unnatural. Luther Pierce was never peaceful. He was absolutely dreadful and this was so wrong.

“I need you to wake up.”

My voice dropped to a whisper, raw and broken.

“I need you to fight like you always have. For once, not against me, but with me. I know it is impossible but I need you to find a way to do that still.

My breath hitched, and I squeezed my eyes shut. Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it. I had spent so much of my life trying to break free of his shadow, and now, sitting here, I realized how much of me had been built in reaction to him.

I sniffled, shaking my head as I wiped angrily at my eyes. This isn’t fair.

part is?” I let out a breathless laugh, my voice shaking with anger and grief all at once, “Even now, lying there, you still win. You still get to be the center of

shakily, finally allowing myself to slump forward, resting my

“Damn you, Father.”

long time, I just sat there, the quiet hum of the healer’s quarters the only sound in the room. I thought about everything–about the years of resentment, the hard–earned moments of understanding, the way we had started to almost

had never gotten the chance to hear him say

so badly. I wanted to know what it would be like being on the sane page family and this time it lasted for the rest of my life.

with my

his hand one last

was when it

beneath

1/3

Chapter 256

as I

it happened

single, weak twitch of

sucked in a sharp breath, my pulse roaring in

supposed to wake up. The healers had said I shot to my feet, my chair scraping against the

back.

just as my vision blurred with tears, just as my mind caught up to what was

fingers twitched again.

still uneven from what I thought I had seen–what I knew I had seen. But now, as I sat there, watching, waiting, there was

fingers trembled as they hovered over his hand, waiting

shoulders sagged. I imagined it. Just like I had imagined Grayson standing at his grave, looking

been a

it was different because my father was dead

his face once more, searching for something I wasn’t even sure existed. And then, before I could second–guess myself, I did something I never thought I would.

and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

weight of it sat heavy in my chest. It felt like a goodbye, even if I

back and let my gaze linger on him one last time before I turned and walked

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