TESSA - PRESENT TIMES
I sat there, staring at the untouched lunch I had prepared, already cold.
My nails dug into the wood, and I realized I hadn’t moved for a while. I thought making lunch would distract me, maybe even comfort me, but all it did was drag me back. Back to that moment—to the mess of everything.
So, that was what happened.
After that day, I tried.
I tried to explain to Rowan again, over and over, hoping he would finally hear me. But he never listened. He always turned away before I could finish. He’d walk off, dismissing me like I was some nuisance. I poured myself into words, explanations, tears—but it was always futile. He’d already decided what to believe.
The last straw was the day I went to his house. I thought maybe cornering him in his own space would make him
