✤ Sera ✤
I stared at my phone for a long time before I let myself breathe again. Adrian’s message sat on the screen, heavy and overwhelming. I read it once, then again, and then a third time, slower than before. Every word felt deliberate. Careful. Meant to reassure. And maybe it should have. Maybe it would have, if it had arrived sooner. If it had come before the silence. Before the ache. Before I had convinced myself that I had imagined more than I was meant to.
But it was too late for comfort.
I sat on my bed, my back against the headboard, with my knees pulled to my chest. The room felt smaller than usual, like the walls were quietly pressing in. I understood what he was saying. I really did. I understood fear. I understood the consequences. I understood being watched. But understan
