Chapter 104 The Ghost Of Goodbye

• Content Advisory: This chapter contains themes of intense emotional vulnerability, moral conflict, and explicit description involving unhealthy coping mechanisms. Reader discretion is advised.
• I lie awake in our bed, the silk sheets feeling too cold against my skin. The clock on the nightstand reads well past midnight, each tick seeming to mock my racing thoughts. My fingers keep finding my lips, remembering a kiss I’m trying desperately to forget. The ghost of Tavin’s touch haunts me, making the weight of Efrem’s necklace feel heavier against my throat.
• I didn’t take it off. I couldn’t. There’s some part of me that thought leaving it on would somehow erase the guilt.