Atlas Hallow's gentle final syllable felt like a massive hammer, pounding heavily on Hailey Hill's heart, leaving her breathless with pain.
"What about me?" Her eyes brimmed with tears, teetering on the brink of falling, yet refusing to drop.
Crying was also an art; Hailey Hill never needed to wail. She knew exactly what kind of tears would move Atlas Hallow the most.
"I'll handle it," Atlas Hallow relented, gently patting Hailey Hill's back, and she seized the moment to lean her head on his shoulder. "Atlas, forgive me for being a little jealous. I'm just a woman who purely loves you."
No one would ever understand the burden she carried, the suffering she endured, nor would anyone know about the pain of having her uterus and ovaries—the most unique and magnificent functions of a woman—removed.
