He should’ve asked me to help. He should’ve said something—anything. But he was gone. Sprinting toward her room like his soul was tethered to hers.
I followed him partway down the hallway and watched as he emerged from Tina’s room, carrying her limp body in his arms. His face was pale, his jaw tight. He looked terrified.
“Austin! Get the car ready!” he barked.
And then he was gone, disappearing down the hall with her, still not saying a word to me.
Just like that, the intimacy we’d shared only moments ago felt like it belonged to someone else. A stranger.
I stood there, robe clutched tight, heart hammering for all the wrong reasons.
It wasn’t just that she’d gotten his attention.
It was how he looked at her while she had it.
And for the first time, I felt a crack form inside me—a t
