The ache was indescribable, and Pietro squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head like his denial could change the fact. Time seemed to stretch on, unmoving, and he forgot to breathe, face drained of colour. His fingers traced the wedding band tied round his wrist and his stomach churned violently.
"S-...She can't be-" Pietro mumbled, shaking his head weakly and combing a hand up through his hair to hide his face, "She- s-" he bit down on his lip and strained to find some small hope. His breath was ragged and coloured with a very particular pain, one his father knew just as well as he did, and he shook his head again in a desperate bid to reject the news.