I sat staring into the void, numb to the world around me.
Since morning, I hadn't summoned the strength to leave the mattress. I hadn't eaten; I hadn't bathed. Food felt like ash in my mouth, and the simple act of standing up felt like an impossible summit to climb. Tears had carved endless rivers down my cheeks all day as memory dragged me back through yesterday's horror, until exhaustion finally claimed me again.
The buzz of my phone against the pillow jerked me awake. I had kept it right beside my head all morning, desperately waiting for a message or a call from Joaquin—or even Michelle. I didn't have any load on my phone to reach out to them first, and my chest had been tight with worry for her all day.
Thinking it was one of them, I bolted upright, but a sharp, blinding ache shot
