The news didn’t knock. It didn’t hesitate. It didn’t care whether she was ready or not. It simply appeared. Cold. Public. Merciless. Maya stared at her phone, vision slightly blurred, but not enough to miss the headline glowing back at her. “The Thoreau Family Relocates to Italy Amid Family Drama” Her fingers hovered over the screen. Unmoving. As if touching it again would change it. Undo it. Erase it. But it didn’t. More images loaded beneath it. Proof stacking itself into reality. Lucas. Standing beside Sophie. Dressed perfectly. Composed. Untouched by everything that had just shattered behind him. Untouched by her. Maya’s chest tightened sharply. Her breath caught halfway and refused to complete itself. No message. No warning. No goodbye. Nothing.
She let out a broken laugh as the phon
