Chapter 89: 89 - Agitation

For all I can remember, she loved me with all her heart.

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The car hummed along the highway, the engine's usual low purr a mere whisper against the suffocating silence that had settled between them. Maximillian stole a glance at the boyfriend sitting next to him. The only sound saturating the air was the faint click-clack of the keyboard as Julian's fingers danced across his laptop. The screen's cool blue glow cast an unnatural light on his face, deepening the shadows in his eyes.

Maximillian cleared his throat.

"How was your day, my love?"

"Mm. Good."

Unease slithered through Maximillian like a serpent of ice, its scales scraping against his bones. A paralyzing chill settled deep within him, freezing not just his blood, but the very marrow of his existence.

Maximillian cleared his throat again.