No Pity For Your Tears

a life raft in the sea of trauma and confusio

low compared to the hyper-reality of the simulation. The skyscrapers that

y apartment, my hands still shaking. I

fr

iving room, looking out at the city. For a

with short, practical brown hair,

est friend

the carpet. She was chewing on her thumbnail, a habit she only h

aid. My voic

k me in. The relief that washed over her face w

my god, yo

ense the invisible wounds I carried. "You just... disappeared for three

I didn't know how to fin

miliar look of frustration and disappointment. "N

ld her I was spending my inheritance on the Elysium 'Sa

had asked, her voice laced with disbelief. "She's not real, Noah. She's just a

derstand. That Chloe was more than just words on a page. I

of crushed metal still in my throat, Sarah's word

ssion costing me more than I wanted to

ch, the last of my

o-nonsense demeanor softening. "What happen

o you tell your best friend you were tor

s brilliant and obsessive and ruthless. You can't just pour 'good intentions' into a person like that

seen myself as Chloe's savior, a noble hero on a righteous quest

with fixing a broken character that he

God?" I murmured, the question di

h said, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Yo