Brielle’s POV
The next morning arrived without ceremony. No blinding light through the windows, no birdsong to break the silence. Just the slow stretch of another day pressing against my chest like a weight I couldn’t shake.
I got up early. Earlier than usual. Gregory hadn’t stirred yet, and I didn’t want him to. There was quietness in the house that I didn’t want to ruin.
In the kitchen, I poured cereal into a bowl I didn’t really want. I chewed each bite like I was trying to prove something. That I could be normal. That food could taste like more than routine.
But it didn’t. It just tasted like silence.
The night before still sat with me—Gregory’s words, his hand in mine. I hadn’t known how much I needed that until it happened. And even though it didn’t fix anything, it made the edg
