It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.

One minute, JJ was here. Breathing. Laughing. Existing. And now—

Now, my brother was dead.

Kie’s screams cut through the suffocating silence, but they felt distant, like I was hearing them from underwater. My legs carried me forward before my mind could catch up, my body moving on instinct. I had to get to him. I had to see him.

But before I could, strong arms wrapped around me, yanking me back.

“Don’t,” Rafe’s voice was low, firm. “Don’t look.”

I thrashed against him, my entire body shaking. “Let me go!” My voice cracked, raw and broken, but he didn’t loosen his grip.

I fought harder, my nails digging into his skin as I struggled against the weight of his hold. But Rafe held on, his chest against my back, keeping me from falling apart completely. “You don’t want to see this,” he murmured, his breath hot against my ear. “You don’t—”

“I have to.” My voice shattered mid-sentence.

Rafe cursed under his breath but didn’t let go. His arms stayed locked around me, his heartbeat steady against my back. I hated him for holding me back. I hated him for stopping me when every fiber of my being needed to reach JJ.

But most of all, I hated that he was right.

Because the second I broke free, the second I stumbled forward and saw JJ’s lifeless body in Kie’s arms, the world ended.

My breath left me in a strangled sob. His face—his face—was too still, too pale. His lips, the same ones that always held a smirk, were slightly parted, frozen in whatever words he never got to say.

“Jay…” My knees hit the ground.

Rafe was behind me, silent now. He didn’t try to pull me back again, didn’t try to stop me from reaching out. He just stood there, letting me fall apart piece by piece.

Everything inside me cracked open. My hands trembled as I touched JJ’s arm, as if I could shake him awake, as if this was just one of his dumb jokes. But his skin was cooling. The warmth was fading.

And so was I.