The tears continued to fall, and this time I let them. Sometimes, I just sit with the ache, not fight it; breathe, hands on the wheel. Sometimes I journal or focus on what’s next. Nothing fixes it, but I remember I can keep going.
I didn’t realize how long I’d been driving until the sky started to dim.
The gold softened into blue, the edges of the day blurring into something more subdued, something less defined. My thoughts hadn’t stopped, but they’d dulled just enough that I could breathe between them, the pressure ebbing slightly.
At some point, I must’ve turned my phone off.
I didn’t remember doing it.
I just knew that when I finally pulled over, hands still tight on the wheel, it was dark.
True, breath-catching stillness.
Too still.
I reached for my phone, turning it back on more out of habit than intention.
It lit up immediately with missed calls, one after another. And texts stacked on top of each other. They were short, direct, and increasingly urgent.
Logan:Where are you?
Cami:I’m here if you want to talk. You’re
amazing and we love you.
Logan:Answer your phone.
Logan:Call me.
My stomach dropped, anxiety surging as reality intruded and I realized what I’d missed outside my own pain.
Guilt hit fast. Sharp.
Because I hadn’t thought about it, not really. I had made sure Harper was okay. That she was safe. That Cami had her.
But Logan—
I hadn’t thought about what this would look like from his side.
I hit call before I could overthink it.
He picked up immediately.
“Where the hell have you been?” The words came rapid-fire. Jagged. No space between.
“I—” I started, but my voice caught.
“You just disappear?” he continued, sharper now. “Phone off? No call? No text?”
I closed my eyes, leaning back against the seat.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I didn’t think…”
“No,” he cut in. “Don’t do that.”
There was a beat. And underneath the edge in his voice, I heard the panic. It was controlled and contained, but there.
“You don’t get to just vanish like that, Dani,” he said, slower now, but no less intense. “Not without tellin’ me where you are.”
