The house felt different.
Not quiet.
Empty.
The kind of empty that pressed in from every corner.
No voices.
No footsteps.
No one calling her name.
Just… space.
Nia sat on the floor where they left her.
Marcus’s words still echoed.
Ryan’s silence even louder.
She laughed.
A dry, broken sound.
But it didn’t feel good.
It felt like something had been ripped out of the room.
Something important.
Her chest tightened.
“They’ll come back,” she said out loud.
Silence answered.
Her gaze drifted around the room.
Broken glass.
Scattered pieces.
Damage everywhere.
She did that.
A slow breath left her.
“Doesn’t matter…”
She pushed herself up slowly, her body heavy.
Everything felt heavy.
Even thinking.
She walked through the house aimlessly.
Room to room.
Nothing felt lik
