Morning didn’t bring relief.
It brought consequences.
⸻
Aaron hadn’t slept.
Not really.
He’d gone through the motions—closed his eyes, laid still—but his mind refused to quiet.
Every time he drifted—
He saw it again.
Her face.
Her silence.
That word.
⸻
His phone rang just as the first light broke through the windows.
He didn’t need to check the screen.
He already knew.
⸻
“Aaron.”
⸻
His grandfather’s voice was calm.
Too calm.
⸻
“Good morning, sir,” Aaron replied, straightening unconsciously.
⸻
“Is it?” the older man asked.
⸻
A pause.
⸻
Aaron didn’t answer.
⸻
“I’ve seen the headlines,” his grandfather continued. “The photos. The speculations.”
Another pause.
⸻
“And more importantly,” he added, “I’ve seen your response.”
⸻
Aaron’s jaw tightened slightly.
⸻
