Chapter 206

• There was a flash of hurt in her eyes that she quickly tried to hide. Biting her lower lip, she looked away.
• With a heavy sigh, I said, “My wife was Alessandra. And my son’s name was Elliot. He was three when he was shot by a stray bullet that was meant for me. He died in my arms. My wife went crazy after that, and she died a few months later. And I don’t ever want to talk about it again.”
• Sera stared at me, unmoving, her eyes wide and glassy with unshed tears. She didn’t try again to tell me she was sorry, or any of the other things people say when they don’t know what to say in the face of your grief. And for that I was grateful. It made me want to hit the person who was saying it. They couldn’t possibly understand what I’d gone through. What I was still going through every fucking day.