29. June

Chapter twenty-nine

June

I am dead...

Or am I?

If you're reading this, if you've skipped ahead to see if I've really shuffled off this mortal coil, then shame on you! Spoilers are a reader's worst enemy, you know.

But I get it. I'm irresistible. You couldn't bear the thought of a world without June Deveaux, could you? Well, too bad. Because as far as you know, as far as Cara knows, I'm gone. Kicked the bucket. Bought the farm.

But here's the thing about death in stories like these... it's rarely the end. No, it's just the beginning of a new chapter, a new twist in the roller coaster ride of love and loss and vengeance.

So maybe I am dead. Maybe Elaine finally won, finally snuffed out the flame of my life like she's been trying to do for years. Or maybe, just maybe, there's more to the story.

But I'm not going to tell you. Where's the fun in that? No, you'll have to keep reading, keep turning those pages, to find out the truth.

Will Cara avenge me? Will she burn down the world in her grief and rage? Or will she find a way to move on, to build a life for herself and our child in the ashes of what we once had?

I wish I could tell you. I wish I could take away the pain I know she's feeling, the agony of losing half of her soul. But this is her story now. Her fight.

And let's be real - Cara's always been the strong one. The brave one. She's the phoenix, rising from the ashes time and time again. She's the flame that never goes out, no matter how hard the world tries to snuff her.

So have faith, dear reader. Have faith in her, in the love that binds us even across the veil of death. Have faith that the truth will out, that justice will be served.

And most of all? Have faith that even in the darkest of nights, dawn is coming.

Ashley – I mean Cara, my love, my heart, my soul... I'm watching over you. Always.

And when the time is right, when you've fought your way through the hellfire and come out the other side?

I'll be waiting for you. In this life or the next.

Forever yours, June.