Not him.
Not danger.
The tension spills out of me in a shaky exhale.My knees weaken.I grip the counter until the tremble passes.
I can’t live like this.
Not again.
Not anymore.
Kael was right.
Finn was right.
Atlas was right.
I need a plan.
I need support.
I need—
A soft buzz vibrates against the counter behind me.
My phone.
Even though it’s off.
I whip around, breath catching, but it’s not the phone.
It’s the building’s front door intercom.
A red blink.
One short buzz.
Someone rang the wrong apartment, I tell myself.It happens.Neighbors forget numbers.Delivery drivers hit the wrong button.
I don’t move.
Don’t breathe.
The buzzer doesn’t sound again.
But the fear stays lodged in my throat.
I go to the couch, grab the blanket, and wrap it tightly around myself.The air feels colder now.The room feels too big in some places, too small in others.I sit on the floor with my back to the couch, legs pulled tight to my chest.
My eyes burn.
I don’t want to cry.
I don’t want to be afraid.
I don’t want to give Adrian space in my head again.
I press my forehead to my knees, chest shaking with a breath I can’t swallow.
