a cursed kiss excerpts
Chapter one
My dying heart ached inside my chest, shrinking and withering until only an empty husk remained.
My hands shook as I clutched my skirts. It was all I could do to keep from dropping to my knees in the secluded alcove and begging my sister to call off her betrothal. “You said you weren’t going to marry him. You swore you’d fix this.”
chapter two
Funerals weren’t held for the family.
They were for the spectators whose lives hadn’t been broken apart by death’s cold, unforgiving hand. Whose worlds hadn’t been shattered. Useless ceremonies to make those who were still whole feel less guilty about being around those of us with missing pieces. Condolences and handshakes and nods and tears did nothing for the ones experiencing a loss so deep that the wound would never heal.
