Chapter 77: Chapter 77: SILLA

“Gone? What do you mean he’s gone?” I felt panic rise and try to choke me at Chantal’s words and stopped dead in my tracks. I finally experienced what it means to feel the bottom fall out. For a few seconds, I felt as if I’d lost time and space, as if I was floating somewhere above myself and way off balance.

The rush of tears blinded me as my limbs grew weak, and my knees gave out. I’d have fallen flat on my face had Chantal not taken my arm. My thoughts became jumbled as I lost my breath, everything seeming to happen at once. Gone, Gabriel was gone, and it was all my fault. I felt a deep sense of loss as my body started to tremble.

“Don’t freak; I think it has something to do with work. Here, sit down before you pass out.” It took a minute for her words to register, but they weren’t much help, not right away anyway, because he was still gone.