And furious.
“Everyone says that,” he says, voice rough. “Everyone believes that. Until they do.”
My chest tightens.
I want to argue. I want to yell. I want to tell him Logan isn’t our mom, isn’t some stranger, isn’t someone who leaves.
But the truth is, I don’t actually know what Logan will do when it gets hard.
I only know what he’s done so far.
He stayed.
So I soften my voice.
“I know,” I whisper. “I know you’re scared.”
Cameron’s expression cracks on the wordscared, like he hates it.
Then he looks away quickly, wiping at his face with the heel of his hand like he can erase the grief if he rubs hard enough.
“I’m going to go for a run,” he says abruptly.
My stomach twists. “Cam?—”
He grabs his keys off the counter. “I’ll be back.”
He pauses at the door, glancing back at me.
His voice is quieter now. Less sharp.
“Try to eat something real,” he says.
Then he’s gone.
The door closes. The house exhales.
And I’m alone again.
I stare at the plate in front of me. At the toast and eggs and strawberries.
At the proof that my brother is trying to keep me alive.
My hands start to shake.
I put my fork down.
And then I just…sit there.
Not moving.
Not crying.
Not breathing right.
Just existing in the aftermath of Andrew Rhodes being gone from the world.
My phone buzzes once on the table.
