Chapter 43

Kelsey POV

I was staring at my reflection in the mirror for what must have been the tenth consecutive minute.

It’s not like I was particularly concerned about my appearance. I was simply trying to untangle the suffocating knot of emotions sitting heavy in my chest.

I remember staring down Genevieve's loaded gun without flinching. Watching the man I loved bleed out on a freezing concrete floor. Yet, pulling on a simple gray sweater to go visit an old friend felt like the most insurmountable task I had ever faced.

Genevieve was always the villain in my story, a known threat I could brace myself against. Laura, however, was a different kind of wound.

The woman staring back at me in the mirror looked significantly older and much harder than she had a year ago, but she couldn't erase the memories of Laura's kindness.

I could still picture walking into her bright, welcoming house after the accident. I remembered sitting on her sofa