The world didn’t break quietly—
It shattered.
Metal screamed. Glass exploded. The car spun, flipped, then slammed into the ground so violently Ariana’s breath tore from her lungs.
Silence followed.
Heavy. Wrong. Ringing in her ears.
Ariana blinked, her vision swimming in and out like a dying light bulb. Her body felt weightless, then unbearably heavy. Everything hurt and nothing made sense.
“A… Adrian…” Her voice was barely sound.
A rough groan answered her.
She forced her head to turn. Adrian was slumped over the steering wheel, blood trailing down his forehead. But he was moving. Breathing. Fighting to stay conscious.
“Adrian,” she whispered again, panic clawing up her throat.
His head lifted slowly—too slowly. His eyes struggled to focus, but the second they landed on her, som
