Hayden
As I stepped out of the club, the package felt like a brick against my ribs. The door closed behind me with a muted thud, and for a second I stood there in the pale morning light, staring at nothing. My breath left my mouth in small puffs, barely visible but heavy enough to feel. The street was still quiet, only the distant hum of a passing car cutting through the silence. It was too quiet. Quiet enough for my mind to start speaking louder than my surroundings.
Every time I walked out of this place with something hidden in my jacket, I told myself it would be the last. Every time I swore to Ashley I was ending this, I wanted to believe it. But the package pressing into my side told a different story. It was not just paper and string. It was a reminder of the man I still was, the w
