Elie hated being alive. Every day, she wished Kyro had just let her get infected instead of making the decision to cut off her cheek. She had always prided herself on being strong and independent, never needing help. But now, with her cheek severed and the gaping wound that had been left behind, she felt like nothing but a burden. The injury was worse than she had imagined—horribly painful, and despite William’s best efforts, the wound was far from healing properly. She could see the side of her teeth, half of her lip missing, and every time she looked in a mirror, it reminded her of everything she had lost.

The worst part wasn’t the physical pain, though. It was the sense of helplessness. Elie hated the way her mouth wound made her drool, how eating had become an excruciating chore because of the inadequate medical supplies. The infection left it looking grotesque, sometimes with pus seeping out, a constant reminder of how vulnerable she was. But what she hated even more than all of that was how clingy you had become.

You’d been kissing her good cheek, even though she was sure she looked disgusting at times. She knew you didn’t pity her—after all, you were her girlfriend—but it was hard to stop herself from feeling like she was just something for you to take care of, rather than someone you wanted to be with. The worst part was how you had changed. You had always been the cautious one, never wanting to put yourself at risk for supplies, but now you were leaving the safety of the warehouse to get medical supplies for her wound. It terrified her to see you doing this, risking your own safety for her, when just a few days ago you couldn’t even bring yourself to leave for food.

Elie couldn’t shake the feeling that the wound had made her a burden to everyone, especially you. Despite your love, she couldn’t help but wish things had ended differently. The person she once was—the person who didn’t need help, who didn’t rely on others—felt so far from her now.