Chapter 174

Alyssa POV

Despite the way Mason fucked me last night—slow, passionate, like he was trying to pull the sadness out of me one thrust at a time—I still wake up feeling like shit.

Numb. Hollow.

And aching in all the wrong places.

Because no matter what I do, I can’t stop the reminder that I won’t get to see my daughter’s smile even once today.

The guys ordered breakfast from some hole-in-the-wall diner down the street. I didn’t ask what they got. Didn’t care. I’ve only left this bed to pee and to pull one of King’s shirts over my head. Other than that, I’ve been wrapped in the covers like a mummy, hiding under layers that feel more like armor than comfort.

The TV murmurs in the background—Hoarders, of all things. I don’t remember what was on before it, but now I can’t seem to look away. Probably because the mess on screen looks how I feel inside—chaotic, crumbling, buried under things I can’t seem to get rid of no matter how hard I try.