Chapter 195

OLIVIA’S POV I couldn't shake the fact that I lost my best friend. James lost a friend. My children lost their uncle. And I… I felt powerless. Derek was one of a kind. Even in his final moments, he was thinking of me, knowing I would carry this guilt. That I would blame myself. I shuddered, staring at the mark burning faintly in my memory. Was all of this—every loss, every betrayal—because of this mark? Because of me? It felt impossible not to wonder if it was cursed. With every person I cared for who died—or nearly did—my doubts grew louder. Perhaps the mark that gave me fire also brought ruin. Maybe it punished those around me. My sobs echoed through the darkened woods like the final cries of a dying star. Tear upon sorrowful tear fell from my eyes, pooling into a widening lake around Derek’s still form with Dominic sat beside me and consoled me. Each droplet trembled in midair, shimmering with ethereal light before splattering against his cold skin. Some landed on his hand, and the