A R I A
I walk into my room and toss my bag onto the bed, not even caring where it lands. The weight of everything hits me all at once. I don’t bother unpacking—I don’t even sit. I just stand there, staring at the closed door like it’s some kind of barrier holding everything back. My chest feels tight, like I can’t breathe right.
I try pacing, but it doesn’t help. The silence in the room is oppressive, the kind that wraps around your neck and squeezes. I pull out my phone and hover over Lucian’s name. I almost text him—almost. But I stop myself. I can’t keep going to him every time the walls start closing in. It’s not fair. To him, to me.
Still… the idea doesn’t feel as wrong as it used to.
I shake my head, trying to push the thought away. I need to focus. There’s more pressing stuff g
