Until the end

Winona

The blood on his hands turned the water red as he washed them. The white porcelain sink blurred with the pink and red ribbons of someone else’s life.

“HJ,” I whispered.

He jumped, the muscles in his back rippling as he tensed. His dark head of hair was dripping wet, and as it shot up, droplets of water sprayed everywhere. Those black eyes solidified into a stone-cold stare when he looked at me in the mirror. “Why are you back here?”

“I had to pee. It’s not like I don’t come back—”

“Get out!” He delivered the command as swiftly as a sword slicing its enemy down.

I stood my ground. We still weren’t friends. We were barely acquaintances at this point. He’d ignored me too many times for that and had acted as though I didn’t exist for the past couple of weeks. And in those weeks, I’d almost slept with another man, one I knew could keep me content.

Yet I wanted only HJ.

“Winona, you need to leave.” His voice rumbled out low in warning.

I should have left like he asked me to. If he di