I threw the dresser drawer open so hard it rattled against the frame. Clothes spilled over the edge, and I shoved them into my bag without care, my hands shaking too much to fold anything properly. My chest hurt, every breath sharp like glass. I couldn’t stay here another second. Not with her. Not with them. Not when the truth was so close yet locked away behind their silence.
The sound of footsteps came before his voice.
“Please, don’t do this.” Asher’s voice was quiet from the doorway, but it vibrated with something low and raw, like a warning growl barely held back.
I didn’t look at him. If I did, I knew I’d crumble. My throat burned, my hands trembled, but I forced my voice to cut steady and cold. “I warned you, Asher. I told you if you wouldn’t tell me the truth, I couldn’t stay he
