The sharp pain in her chest felt as though the organ itself had been torn from her body, ripped out, crushed, and ground beneath something merciless while she was still alive and conscious enough to feel every second of it.
Arabella's breath hitched violently, her body betraying her before she could even think to fight it. Her knees struck the ground hard as she collapsed forward, one hand clawing at her chest where the pain burned like a living thing. A broken cry tore free from her throat, wet and bloody, mixing with saliva as she struggled to draw breath.
No matter how fiercely she tried to endure it, no matter how she clenched her teeth or forced herself to stay upright, she couldn't. The pain was far too immense, far too powerful, as if something was reaching into her very soul and squeezing without mercy.
Tears spilled freely as her body curled inward, instinctively trying to protect itself, her shoulders shaking against the stone floor.
