No Joke

"Shut up!" Declan snapped. The harsh sound of his voice echoed over the mahogany table, cutting sharply through Maya's broken sobs. He didn't mean to direct the venom at her; a bitter, inexplicable tightness was currently strangling his chest, making it hard to draw a full breath. Seeing this beautiful, distressed girl weeping into her pale palms felt like a physical blow to his gut.

Maya kept he