Leona’s POV
I was still staring at myself in the mirror.
Older now. Stronger, maybe. But still that girl, somewhere inside. The one who watched everything fall apart and had to pretend she was okay.
But I wasn’t a helpless kid anymore.
I looked at the necklace again. The new chain. The locket. The black diamond Marco gave me — heavy and cold but shining.
My phone buzzed next to me, snapping me out of it.
Marco: "I'm making dinner. You want anything?"
I stared at the screen for a second before typing back.
Me: "It depends. What are you making?"
It took maybe thirty seconds for him to respond.
Marco: "Come find out."
I smiled a little.
I didn’t even notice it at first till I glanced at myself in the mirror by my desk. My eyes still looked kinda puffy—crying does that, I guess—but
