AUTHOR’S POV

Tessa sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as she counted in her head, how much time she had so she could go check on Regina.

The silence in her room was too loud.

The shadows cast by the bedside lamp stretched across the walls like silent watchers, the shadow reflection of other objects the room looked like they were whispering loudly, echoing the weight in her chest.

Her mind kept replaying George’s words from earlier at the supermarket, and every time, they struck a nerve she’d tried so hard to numb.

Her ringed finger throbbed with guilt. The blood diamond sparkled none...