Illyana's POV
The silence was the worst part. The constant, oppressive silence of my phone. No texts from Sofia, no calls from Aurora. Just…nothing. Every morning, I’d reach for it, a flicker of hope in my chest, only to be met with the same empty screen, the same agonizing silence. It was a physical ache, a constant reminder of the gaping hole that had been ripped in my life, the absence of my friends a heavy weight on my soul. The villa felt empty without their laughter, their energy. Even the meals Alessandro and I shared felt incomplete, the table too big, the conversations too quiet.
Days bled into nights, each one a torturous cycle of worry and regret. I replayed that night, each iteration a fresh wave of guilt. If only I hadn’t stayed late at the hospital. If only I’d been there w
