GILDA’S POV
We left the room together and headed toward the pool.
I had stopped asking Angel what was wrong.
Not because I wasn’t worried, God knows I was, but because every time I tried to reach her, she retreated further into herself. The more I asked, the more she pulled away, shaking her head repeatedly, backing up as if my concern itself frightened her.
It hurt.
It made me feel helpless.
I didn’t want to be another person forcing her to relive something she wasn’t ready to face. Whatever she was carrying inside her was heavy, and pushing her would only make it worse.
So I let her be. For now.
As soon as she saw the pool, her mood shifted completely.
She splashed into the water, laughing, an actual sound escaping her, raw and unrestrained. It startled me at first, then warmed
