Abuse rewires you.
Turns love into something you bleed for.
She reaches into her purse and pulls out an envelope, pressing it into my shaking hands.
“Nora wrote this for you,” she says quietly.“I don’t know what’s in it.But I think you should read it before you disappear completely.”
Her voice breaks again.
“Jake loved you with everything he had.That doesn’t change because of blood or secrets.You were brothers.You always will be.”
When she leaves, I’m alone with the record, the letter, and the wreckage of everything I thought I knew.
I lie back on the couch, the letter unopened on my chest, and let‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’play on repeat.My eyes trace the cracks in the ceiling, the same way I traced the bumps above that spare bed.
Each time the chorus comes around, something inside me loosens.
For the first time in days—maybe weeks—the noise in my head eases just a fraction.
Just enough to breathe, even if it stings.
Just enough to remind me that I’m still here.
Whether I want to be or not.
CHAPTER39
NEVER GOODBYE, JUST SEE YOU AGAIN SOON
NORA
“Nora,come on.We’re going out and seeing daylight.”
Camilla’s voice carries that particular brand of aggressively cheerful concern that means she’s staging an intervention.
I pull the pillow over my head.“No.I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine.You’re wallowing.”
“I’mprocessing.”
“You’re rotting.”
The door swings open—no knock, no hesitation.
Camilla never cared for boundaries when she thought someone needed saving.Marcus and Mia’s voices filter in behind her, the full rescue squad assembling like this is a coordinated extraction.
“Nora, I love you,” Mia says gently, easing onto the edge of the bed.“But when’s the last time you showered?”
I try to remember.
Tuesday?
Wednesday?
Everything has blurred into one long ache.
“Exactly,” Camilla says, arms crossing like she’s delivering a verdict.“We’re going to the pier.Fresh air, terrible deep-fried food, and you’re going to pretend to be human again.”
