Chapter Sixty-Eight: Die to Live

We were seated at the dining table at our usual spot before Raven came to ruin the arrangement. Things had changed ever since Raven left. It was like her presence had been the catalyst for a change in our once-normal daily lives.

Staring at the food placed in front of me, my mind drifted away, recalling the time when Raven had tried to poison me. The vivid image of Praya swinging the plate on Raven’s face replayed in my mind.

Praya.

She saved me that day. If she hadn't been there with me, I would probably be dead by now. And perhaps, if I had died then, she wouldn’t have died saving me from her siblings. She would’ve been alive, as she was supposed to be. I never hated living more than I did now.

Tears welled in my eyes as I rubbed my hands in my lap. My heart ached painfully in my chest, and breathing into my lungs became difficult. I never truly understood what grief was until I lost Praya that night. Though I lost my mother, I was too young; I never really knew her, so grieving he