CIAN
I stared at my phone, my frustration tightening like a vice in my chest, strangling any breath I could draw in. The grief roared beneath, tearing me apart from the inside out, but I could not even sit with it because she was not answering. I’d called Maia so many times now, each time hoping for her voice on the other end, some bit of grounding to cling to in the chaos. But nothing.
I pushed myself up from the couch and stepped outside into the cold darkness. The air bit against my skin, but it was easier to deal with than her silence. My father's muffled voice came from inside, still on the phone, looking for any clues as to who had turned our world upside down. He’d been on it for hours, his voice the only constant in a house that felt like it was coming apart at the seams.
I tri
