The boxes felt heavier than usual, as if each one contained not only clothes or books, but also the weight of everything we hadn't discussed. I opened one, revealing folded shirts, and tried to focus on the simple act of unpacking. Sebastian moved stealthily around the room, stacking plates in the kitchen, arranging picture frames against the wall. We didn't talk much, only making brief comments about where to put things, what to keep and what to throw away. But beneath those words, the silence lingered, reminding me of the shadows outside.
Every creak of the floorboards made me glance out the window. Every sound from the hallway made my stomach churn. I kept telling myself that Ian would come, that the door would open soon, but the wait dragged on longer than I wanted.
At one point, Seb
