Bran’s POV
My room feels smaller than it should, like the walls have shifted closer without me noticing, and the silence presses in from all sides. It sits on my chest, heavy and stubborn, refusing to ease, reminding me that everything I tried to hold together is slipping through my hands, and Bella is at the center of it.
I drag a hand down my face and pause when I notice the slight tremor in my fingers. I can’t tell if it’s anger or exhaustion, maybe both tangled together, maybe something deeper I don’t want to name. I should never have let her back in. The thought lands hard, knocking the air out of me. I felt it from the moment she returned—the stiffness in the her, in her eyes moving around like she was taking note of every corner, every exit, every weak point. Even when she stood r
