Jared's POV
The fire crackled and hissed, snapping and spitting like it was alive. Every crackle felt like a punch to my chest, the smoke thick in the air, choking me. The heat was unbearable, and the smell of gasoline and burning rubber made my stomach lurch. I didn't care about the fire, though. I just kept staring at the wreckage, the twisted metal, the pieces of something that used to be whole. Something used to be here—something that I'd loved.
Asher's trembling body was pressed into mine, his little hands gripping my shirt like it was the only thing holding him together. And maybe it was. I wasn't doing much better.
"She's gone," I whispered, my voice barely a breath. I didn't want to say it out loud, but it spilled out of me anyway. "She's gone."
I looked at Asher, his face pale, his eyes wide with fear. His whole world had just shattered, and there was nothing I could do to fix it.
