Elena’s POV
I kept the message on my phone for days.
I didn’t answer it. I didn’t delete it. I just let it sit there while everything else tried to feel normal.
Leo packed his backpack every morning. Adrian made coffee and burned the toast more often than not. We walked him to school together when the schedule allowed. At night we sat on the balcony with our shoulders touching and didn’t talk about the past.
But every time my phone lit up, my stomach dropped before I even looked at the screen.
Wednesday afternoon I was standing at the kitchen counter when Adrian came up behind me. His hands settled on my hips. He rested his chin on my shoulder and looked down at the open message on my phone.
“Still reading it?” he asked, voice low.
I nodded. “It doesn’t say anything real. It just… s
