A fine silver chain lay in my hands—and once I saw it, I could see that it led to the hands of the version of Stefan I had on my stage. It looked so fragile—I tried to break it, but it wouldn’t break or bend, not with anything I could bring to bear on it in my mind. I fought and fought, pulling frantically on the necklace collar around my neck until blood stained the chain, running down it from my neck and from my fingers. Shhh, said a cool voice. Shhh, you’re breaking my heart, cara. I froze, then looked up from the now-heavy chain to my image of Stefan, which crouched next to me on the
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