I thought I would feel something.
Guilt. Fear. Maybe even regret.
But as I watch the life drain from his eyes, all I feel is the weight of my own breathing. Slow. Measured. Like my body has already accepted what my mind refuses to.
The knife is still in my hand. Warm. Sticky. The metallic scent clings to my skin, to the walls, to the very air in the room.
This wasn't supposed to be me.
But Victoria's voice lingers in my head, curling around my thoughts, wrapping around my spine like a chain I don't know if I ever tried to break.
"You always had it in you."
I step back. The floor creaks beneath me, grounding me in the moment. This is real. I did this.
There's no undoing it. No taking it back.
Just the sound of my heartbeat and the certainty that I will never be the same.