Knox's POV
I had long since learned to live with shame. With guilt. With being looked down upon, mocked, humiliated, and dismissed like I was nothing.
No matter how hard I tried...no matter how desperately I clawed at perfection.....I never seem to reach it. I tried to be the perfect son for Father, the perfect brother to my siblings, but somehow, I always ended up ruining everything. Always falling short. Failing. Disappointing.
Eventually, I accepted what seemed inevitable.
I was meant to be alone.
I stopped trying to speak to people who had the ability to respond but chose silence instead. People who turned their backs while keeping their pride intact, offering no comfort, no acknowledgment.
So I turned to the dead instead.
The dead can't pretend. They couldn't lie, couldn't judge, couldn't shame. They simply were. Silent. Still. Honest in their stillness.
They became my only audience. And in them, I found clarity.
