Why?
“She loved you,” she says, softer now. “She still might. But none of that matters if you don’t show up. You either fight for her, or you lose her. That’s it.”
I look down at my bleeding hand. At the mess I made.
I’ve been running. Blaming. Screaming at ghosts.
And she’s right.
None of that means anything if I don’t fight.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Josie
By the timethe shuttle rounds the final bend into Silver Peak, the mountains feel too close. The air too still.
Denver had been sharp and electric, full of noise and ambition. A city teetering on the edge of becoming something bigger. But here?
Here, the quiet is deafening.
Mom’s waiting at the tiny bus stop with a thermos of peppermint tea and that soft smile she wears like armor. She doesn’t ask how it went. She wraps me in a hug and whispers, “Let’s go home.”
And I let her. Because I’m too tired to pretend.
The house smells like cinnamon and citrus and safety. I leave my bags by the door and collapse into the couch like I’ve been underwater for days and finally surfaced.
The future is still a question mark.
Denver made me feel seen. But it didn’t feel like mine. Not yet.
And Silver Peak? This town feels more complicated than ever.
I don’t even realize I’ve dozed off until Dee plops onto the couch beside me with a dramatic sigh.
“Savannah Monroe is trending again,” she says, scrolling her phone like it’s an Olympic event. “It’s been insane.”
I groan. “Dee, I don’t need gossip right now.”
“It’s not gossip. It’s like… public service. Look.” She holds out the phone.
A thread is blowing up on X. Dozens of posts. Screenshots. Photos.
One headline in bold:NFL Heartbreaker Knox Knightly Implicated in Alleged Pregnancy Cover Up.
Another:Savannah Monroe’s History of Fabricated Claims Resurfaces.
I blink. My stomach turns.
“What happened?”
“Savannah,” Dee looks at me. “She faked having a baby with Knox. I heard about all the details from Nova.”
“She faked being pregnant?”
I stare at the screen. The words blur.
“And now she’s telling people you’re a one-night stand he abandoned. It’s everywhere.”
