WREN
I woke up expecting to be wrecked. I laid on the floor for a full minute before opening my eyes, bracing myself for whatever version of emotional devastation the night before had left behind.
Elias's voice kept ringing in my mind, refusing to leave no matter how hard I tried. 'I never stopped. I just got better at pretending I had.' I'd gone to sleep with all of it sitting heavy in my chest, and I fully expected to wake up with it heavier.
Instead, I felt... fine. Or something close enough to fine that I couldn't immediately tell the difference.
I sat up slowly, waiting for the feeling to correct itself, waiting for the grief or the longing or whatever complicated thing I'd been managing since he showed up drunk at my door to announce its presence properly. It didn't. I just felt
