Sophia’s POV
The notebook felt heavier than it should have.
Like it wasn’t just paper and ink anymore…
But proof.
Of doubt.
Of fear.
Of the moment I let something ugly slip into a place that had always been… safe.
I stood there for a few seconds after Tristian handed it back to me.
Everyone else had started moving again.
Talking.
Settling.
Trying to make this feel normal.
But nothing about this felt normal.
Not the silence.
Not the distance.
Not the way Emily wouldn’t look at me.
I swallowed hard, my fingers tightening slightly around the notebook.
You have to fix this.
That thought came sharp.
Clear.
Louder than everything else.
Because this?
This wasn’t something I could just sit with.
Not when it was Emily.
Not when it was us.
I lifted my head slowly.
She was m
