Avery POV
I couldn’t stay in that house a second longer. The weight of everything…the tension with Aidan, the suffocating walls, the lies..was too much. My chest felt tight, and my thoughts were all over the place. I needed air, space, something to distract me.
So I walked. I didn’t know where I was going, but my feet carried me further and further away from the house. The forest gave way to an open area, and then I saw it a large pool, the water calm and glistening under the sun. It looked so peaceful, like it belonged in a dream, and I felt a strange pull toward it.
I sank down at the edge, letting my feet dangle over the side. The cool breeze brushed against my skin, and for the first time in what felt like hours, I exhaled.
My reflection rippled in the water, but I didn’t look too
