The door clicked shut behind Ava, and the silence that followed was deafening. It wasn't the peaceful quiet of the cabin, it was a loud, empty roar that swallowed all the warmth we had made. I stood there, staring at the empty space where she had been just moments ago.
My chest ached like someone had reached inside and violently ripped my heart out, but I was too angry, too proud, and too much of a coward to admit it.
I couldn't admit that she without my permission made a place for herself in my heart and she also ripped herself out just like that.
She's gone.
I forced myself to move, dragging my feet until I reached the couch and collapsed onto it. The cushions still smelled faintly like her, a scent that now made my stomach violently twist. But I locked it down.
I refused to let my
