(Cheryl’s POV)
The soft hum of my aunt’s radio floated through the house as I stepped out of my room, the delicate necklace still resting in its velvet box on my vanity. I’d returned it there after my conversation with Aiden, the cool weight of it lingering against my collarbone, a ghost of his touch that I couldn’t quite shake.
I padded down the hallway, my fingers brushing the cool banister as I descended the stairs. The early afternoon sunlight spilled through the windows, casting golden streaks across the hardwood floor. I tried to focus on that warmth, to let it seep into my skin and drive away the chill that had settled over me since I hung up the phone.
Aiden’s final, clipped words still echoed in my mind, his cold, dismissive tone cutting deeper than I cared to admit. I’d told h
