Max lets go of me.
And I feel it immediately.
The absence.
It’s subtle—but it isn’t.
My body notices before my mind does, like something was holding me together and suddenly… isn’t anymore.
I stay still for a second.
Breathing.
Trying to find it again—control, composure, anything that feels like mine.
But it doesn’t come back properly.
I don’t look at them.
I can’t.
My fingers move slowly, reaching down.
I pick up my panties from where they were left.
Then I slide them back on, carefully, like I’m trying to put myself back together piece by piece.
It doesn’t work.
Not really.
The fabric settles into place, my dress falling back over my thighs, but the feeling doesn’t go away.
That ache.
That tight, frustrating pull sitting low in my stomach.
I smooth my dress down.
My h
