Live for Me (Hallow Ranch)

by Brittany Ann

“We have to go,” I tried again, ignoring the pain and fury coursing through my veins as the threat written on the window burned into my brain. She blinked, swallowing. “Okay.” “That means you have to get up, alright?” Those warm brown eyes snapped over to me, allowing me to see the utter devastation swimming in them. “I have nothing left,” she whispered. Her words struck me, hitting me directly in my broken, hopeless heart. My face relaxed, shock and sadness washing over me like a summer rain. “That’s not true,” I whispered back. God, I wanted to touch her. I wanted to reach out and cup her wet face, to spend the rest of eternity wiping her tears. But that wasn’t an option. My eyes dropped down to the wrapped art piece against her chest. “You can take that back to Hallow Ranch,” I said. She looked at me again, her eyes wide. I gestured around the room. “All of this can go.” She began to shake her head, but my next sentence stopped her. “He’ll never touch your art again, Abbie.”