CHAPTER 38 – Quiet Between Them
It felt like sitting in the eye of a storm. Everything outside was chaos—but in here, it was quiet. For now, at least. Lia kept telling herself that was good. Quiet was good. Except this quiet felt… fake. Like it could shatter any second. Imani’s living room smelled like coffee and lavender. One of her mom’s candles burned on the coffee table, sending curls of sweet smoke into the air and throwing tiny shadows across the framed family photos—smiling faces frozen in time, blissfully clueless about secrets and blood. Outside, wind rattled the palm trees, scraping branches against the windows. Inside, the four of them sat in a loose circle like strangers who used to be friends. Savannah perched on the couch, knees hugged to her chest, sage-green sweater sleeves pulled over her hands. Mila
- Writer
