chapter 40

A soft chuckle escapes Sage’s lips as she shakes her head. She looks different, and I realize this is the first time I have heard her laugh. “That’s wishful thinking,” she muses. “Come on,” I tell her, tugging her toward the kitchen. She follows me, but stops as soon as we are about to pass the basement door to stare at it. “Is the person still alive?” she asks. I swallow and shake my head as I try to pull her away from the door and into the kitchen. “Why?” Sage asks as I grab some bottles of water from the fridge and hand one to her. “Why what? Why did I kill him?” I ask her. She nods as she attempts to unscrew the cap on the water bottle. I watch her struggle with it for a bit. The view amuses me until she gives up and sets it down on the bench. I take the bottle and twist the cap off to hand it to her. “I couldn’t leave him alive after what I did to him,” I answer the question honestly. As usual, some things don’t change, and there isn’t a single bit of remorse lacing my words. I do