Man alone measures time. Man alone chimes the hour. And, because of this, man alone suffers a paralyzing fear that no other creature endures.
The fear of time running out.
Mia Thermopolis Renaldi Deveraux was curled in her bed, knees to chest. No tears, no screaming, no pain. Just numbness, emptiness.
She was still in shock, and she knew that. It wouldn't be long until every ounce of pain would wash over her.
It hadn't been two hours since the Prime Minister had told her what had happened.
That bastard of a man.
Mia hated Viscount Mabrey. The man had killed his only nephew. Mia's only love. And not only that, Joe was critically injured upon trying to protect his wife.
Mia rolled to her other side and placed her hand where Nicholas's chest usually was. A small smile crossed her lips as she remembered the many nights they had together.
She loved sleeping with him the most. No sex, no making out, not even talking. Just sleeping, her curling into his side and resting her head on his chest, his arm wrapped protectively around her.
Three years, no children. It had been only recently that they had been trying, but now there would never be an heir to the throne.
The full weight of it all suddenly slammed into Mia's chest.
She began crying, and through her tears, she saw Nicholas wiping them away as he did when they would fall.
She remembered when she had heard of her mother's cancer, crying like hell, and hitting him with her fists. He didn't even flinch.
She was doing the same thing now, pounding her fists into the bed, and even now, Nicholas didn't flinch.
Mia screamed until her voice was hoarse and slid off the bed, feeling the weight of grief pulling her down, until she was on her knees, burying her face in her hands and nearly drowning in her tears.
Grief's cold hand wrapped around her lungs and pulled. Mia tried screaming, tried just getting a breath in, but nothing came.
Grief's hand moved towards Mia's heart and started twisting it, crushing it. Mia clawed at her chest, still not able to breathe.
The cold hand clawed down Mia's throat. Mia coughed and heaved, trying to get something out, whether it be tears, air, or vomit, she didn't know.
Mia gripped at her chest, trying to remove some of the weight from the chain that was bringing her lower still. She ripped off her robe and curled into the fetal position.
And Grief's cold, hard, deep voice spoke words she refused to listen to before. "It was your fault."
Mia covered her ears, trying to escape the accusing voice.
"You were so weak to think you could have lived happily ever after."
Mia shook her head and bit her lip. She couldn't think about it, she couldn't.
"He's never coming back, and it's all because of you. You will never have a child, you will have to live with this weight for the rest of your life."
Mia replied to Grief through gritted teeth, "There are 7 billion people in this world, and all of them are dying. What is one more?" Before Grief could speak again, she screamed, "What is one damn more?!"
Grief came up behind her and traced his finger down her spine, and she shivered. His lips touched her ear as he moved her hair to one side. His voice was dark as he said, "Everything."
Mia curled back into the position before and continued crying, having given up the battle with Grief.
And when the Prime Minister came back to her room to inform her that Joe had died as well, she waved him away and let Grief consume her.
It was a funny thing, always the instant she thought she could not cry anymore tears, she always seemed to find a way.