His body.

His touch.

He...

The mirror falls from my hands, a sharp noise penetrating the air as the glass shatters.

It was him. With me. Touching me. Inside me.

My God, I think I'm going to be sick!

I stumble to my feet, numb and disoriented. I sway from side to side, using my hands to prop myself on the wall as I make my way back inside the ballroom.

The image I just saw will be forever burned on my retina.

Ze. My friend. Lying to me and touching me as I have never given him permission to.

He...

A sob racks my body as I trip over one of the refreshment tables. The blunt edge hits me in the stomach, stealing my breath from me. Tears course down my cheeks as I grasp onto the table for support, breathing hard.

Nikki was never real, was he? From the beginning, this was a giant farce.

He's dead.

My husband is dead. He's...

No!

"No!" I cry out. No one hears me, though.

A round of applause erupts in the air. I turn slowly, watching as Wyn addresses the guests, lifting her glass in the air for a toast. I can't make out what she says, though. It's all foreign at this point.

She tips the glass, taking a big sip while everyone does the same.

I wish I could drown myself in anything that might take away this grief that's tearing me from the inside out. Worse than the first time I found out Nikki was dead, this time it's not just his death I mourn but also hope.

This is the end.

I catch sight of a row of bottles and, grabbing one, I down it in one go. The alcohol burns as it travels down my throat. I choke and wheeze, but I don't give up.

Make it go away, please.

One bottle down, more to go. I grab another.

Maybe in my attempt to drown my sorrows, I'll actually drown. But if I do, I don't want to go to the House of Psyche. I want Ze to cut me in two with his sword too so I can join my beloved in oblivion.

Together, we were everything.

Alone, I am nothing. So to nothing I shall return.

A loud thud reverberates in the air. Gasps erupt in the crowd, as well as a sharp, grief-ridden cry. And it's not coming from me.

Bottle in hand, I push my way through the throng of people, coming to a halt as I reach the source of the noise.

Wyn is on the floor, dark blood coming out of her mouth. Her eyes are blank, unmoving. Thea is by her side, crying out as she shakes her.

"She's dead! She can't be dead!"

Chaos ensues.

TO BE CONTINUED

For more books in the same world, check out Barbi and the Villain and House of Cryos Trilogy.