House Of Salt And Sorrows Novels & Stories

I wrapped my legs around him, feeling his excitement growing. His mouth covered mine, his lips soft and wet with the ocean. The salt water flavored his kisses, giving him a new taste that I could never hope to get enough of. I licked my lips, tasting his salt water kisses. This is what heaven was like. He pulled me closer, our skin pressing together so that not even a single drop of water could fit between us. He was so warm and strong, my insides melting with fresh want. I would have taken him right there. I would have let him fill me and let my body sing his praise, but an old married couple was walking down the beach.

Suddenly, flashes of memory washed over me and I remembered - it was Hannah, she strangled me. As the realization shook me, I could not fathom how I feel and what I would do. It's impossible and yet the bruises on my neck say otherwise. How could this be? How could Hannah be dead and still inflict pain? I am never the one to believe in the unnatural but this pain, the bruises, the memories in my head, they are too real to just brush off. Am I crazy? Knowing that I caused her a lot of pain and ultimately caused her death is so heavy in my heart. I could not begin to fathom how I could live my life from hereon. I could not possibly continue seeing Cassidy knowing what I know now. I went to the

Beside him, Vanessa looked down at me, eyes glinting with triumph, her smirk filled with condescension. Karen, exhausted from hurling insults, tossed the wooden ruler aside and collapsed onto the sofa with a frustrated sigh. "If only I’d held firm against Mother’s wishes and never agreed to your marriage! Now look at this mess—bringing a cursed wretch into our family was the worst decision we ever made!" I let out a bitter laugh as I sat on the cold floor. I had endured too much heartbreak in this house—Grandma’s passing, Lucas’s affairs, and in five years, I had lost five children…

Chapter 14: What the Dreams Mean Monday morning broke with a thick pink fog curled low over the streets of Black Salt, like something had clawed its way outta the earth and didn’t much care about bein' seen. It wrapped around the cracked sidewalks, clung to front porches, and smothered the school yard like breath from somethin' sleepin' too close. You could taste it—like copper and river mud. Wren stood outside the school doors, arms folded tight over her chest, chin buried in her scarf. "That fog ain’t right," she muttered.