Breathy moans crackled through the phone.
"I-I can't take it anymore... We shouldn't be doing this..."
But Chuck's breathing only grew heavier.
"You left for another country without even looking back, and now you just waltz into my life again? Do you have any idea what you put me through all these years?"
"I didn't want this either. I…" Lylith's voice wavered. "Chuck, why are you crying?"
Lorrie couldn't listen anymore. She ended the call.
She'd never seen him cry, not even ten years ago, when a rebar had speared clean through his shoulder.
But now? He was sobbing over Lylith.
Lorrie was already weak after having her blood drawn and getting caught in the rain. She tried to stand up to close the window, but her legs gave out the moment she rose, and she collapsed.
In her dream, she was back on the night she lost her virginity, curled in Chuck's arms as they talked about traveling the world together after they got married.
Then the familiar scent of cedarwood surrounded her. He
