VERA
A thin trickle of blood ran down from a gash on his brow, tracing a dark path along his cheek. One eye was already swollen and puffy, the skin purpling beneath it. My breath came in sharp bursts, shallow and fast.
"Ethan!" I shrieked, my voice cracking as I stared down at the man kneeling at my feet.
"It was you…" My voice trembled. "It was you all along."
Ethan shook his head violently, sending flecks of blood across the terrace. He tried to push himself upright, but Kane's grip tightened around his neck, forcing him back down onto his knees with a brutal shove.
"L-Luna Vera," he stammered, his voice raw and broken. "P-please, I can explain."
I stared at him, numb with shock, my mind refusing to process the sight before me. Of all the possibilities I'd considered, I had never ever imagined this.
"You…" I choked on my own breath, struggling to speak. "So you're Ryder?"
