Dustin's POV
I woke up with the first light of dawn filtering through the blinds, a heavy weight pressing down on me in the quiet room. At first, I thought it was just the lingering frustration from the constant back and forth with Ariana, the exhaustion weighing me down. But then I spotted it—a slim envelope on my bedside table, my name written in her handwriting.
I picked it up, my heart sinking as I read the words carefully, one after the other. Her tone was somber, almost apologetic, yet it felt so final. She wasn’t just leaving; she was closing a chapter, and I couldn’t shake the sense that everything had changed in an instant.
I put the letter back into the envelope, dropped it onto the table, and stood up. I got dressed, every movement deliberate. I straightened my tie, adjuste
