Eve
The room felt too big and too small at the same time, like the walls were breathing in on me, pressing against my ribs, but the bed was swallowing me whole. I’d curled into the smallest ball I could manage, knees to chest, arms wrapped tight around myself like that might hold the pieces together. My face was sticky with dried tears, my eyes swollen and raw, the kind of tired that seeps into your bones and makes even blinking hurt. I’d cried until there was nothing left to give, until the sobs turned quiet and ugly, until I was just… empty.
Suddenly, I heard a knock at the door.
I didn’t move. Didn’t care who it was.
The door creaked open anyway.
“Eve?”
Mia’s voice. Her voice was gentle, like she was afraid it might shatter me more.
I shut my eyes tighter, letting out a long, sh
