Maria:
I wake up and for a few seconds, everything feels normal.
Quiet room. Soft light filtering through the curtains. Nothing heavy.
Then it hits.
Not all at once. Just… pieces.
The car. The beach. My voice.
I sit up slowly.
“Oh no.”
It comes out under my breath, like maybe if I say it quietly enough, it won’t be real.
It is.
I press my fingers to my forehead, trying to retrace it properly, but that only makes it worse because now I’m remembering details.
Not just what happened.
What I said.
I drop back onto the bed and stare at the ceiling.
Why would I ask him that?
Out of everything I could have said.
Out of everything I could have kept to myself.
I turn to my side and pull the duvet over my face. The fabric feels warm and slightly suffocating against my skin.
“I actu
