CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The autumn sun is a warm caress against my skin as I sit on the weathered bench by the lake, watching golden leaves drift silently onto its serene surface. Vee's approach is quiet, but her presence is always comforting, like the gentle hum of a lullaby whispered in the dark. She sits beside me, tucking a loose strand of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear.
"Isn't it beautiful?" she says, her voice tinged with a melancholy that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "How everything changes, but somehow stays the same?"
"Change can be good," I reply, though my heart feels heavy with secrets I shouldn't keep.
Vee sighs and hugs her knees to her chest, her gaze lingering on the horizon where the sky kisses the forest's edge. There's a vulnerability about her that wasn't there b
