Not for a second.
Not for a breath.
Not in this life or any other.
And as for Delaney…
My stomach knots.
I don’t know how to talk to her today.
Not with the old ghosts rattling their chains.
Not with my nerves shot and my chest cracking open in places I thought I’d boarded up years ago.
But I have to see her.
I have to face all of it.
Even if I’m not sure what the hell happens next.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Delaney
One second,I’m standing at the counter with a tray of chicken thighs, thinking about lemon and rosemary and whether Sadie will eat roasted Brussels sprouts if I bribe her with honey. The next, my phone buzzes on the corner of the island three times in a row.
Ping. Ping. Ping.
Group chats, probably. Sloane sending memes. Ivy sending wild child updates. Olivia sending photos of latte art disasters.
I wipe my hands on a dish towel and reach for the phone, still half in my head about marinade ratios.
The first notification is from Sloane.
You okay?
Weird, but not terrifying. I frown and swipe to my messages.
Another one pops up before I can open it.
Olivia: Babe, have you seen the post yet???
My heart stutters.
“What post?” I mutter, even though no one is here to answer.
The next one is from Ivy.
Do NOT read the comments. I mean it.
Comments.
The word hits. Ice water down my spine.
I open Sloane’s message.
Sloane: Don’t freak out. Dottie shared something in the community group. It’s about you. I’m so sorry.
