CLAIRE
Night presses in hard, the kind that makes every sound feel louder than it should. I'm half asleep, tangled in sheets, my mind circling the same unresolved moment from earlier like it refuses to let go. Aiden's voice, steady and final. The way he didn't argue. The way he left. I exhale and roll onto my side, dragging the blanket higher. Sleep is close, thin and fragile.
"You are not sleeping."
I bolt upright. My heart slams violently against my ribs as adrenaline floods my system. My hand shoots out, grabbing the nearest solid object from the nightstand, a heavy wooden hairbrush, and I'm on my feet in a second, breath sharp and fast. "Who's there," I snap, scanning the room, pulse roaring in my ears. "Show yourself. Now."
The apartment is dark but unchanged. The door i
