***VERA*** Fate has its own way of dealing with me. My heart sank deep seeing how Conry just walked inside without saying a word to me. His eyes carried a dim light of hope and his face — pale from all the worrying and the sleepless nights. I stood there for a moment, frozen, watching him walk behind the door. The silence that came from him pressed against my chest like a heavy stone. I wanted to say something, to call out his name, to ask him what was wrong or how I could be of help to him, but the words refused to leave my lips. Instead, I slowly sank tilted the doorknob shut — and I sank in the chair by the window, the same chair I see Conry sit on whenever his thoughts were clouding him. The fabric of my dress felt cold over my skin, and the dim light of the evening filtered through

