Dimly lit bar. Late night. Air smelling of whiskey and regret. Music low. Melancholy. Lonely.
Noah sat alone at the counter. Drinking heavily. Glass after glass. Trying to drown guilt. Trying to forget pain. Trying to erase his confession to Landon. The look in his brother's eyes. The betrayal. The end of everything.
He'd been spiraling. Hours blurring. Drinks multiplying. Nothing helping.
His phone lay on the bar. Face up. Screen lighting. Dimming. Lighting again.
Dozens of missed calls. Texts from Sienna. Ignored notifications. He couldn't face them. Couldn't face anyone.
Then one message appeared. Cutting through the fog. Through the numbness. Through everything.
Landon's been stabbed. He's in surgery. Please come. Sienna.
The words hit like thunder. Like lightnin
