AIDEN’S POV
The dining room felt suffocating, the silence gnawing at me as I sat at the table. My untouched breakfast mocked me, while a hollow ache churned in my stomach—not hunger, but anticipation. I kept glancing at my phone, silently willing it to ring, to give me something to cling to. But the silence stretched on endlessly.
“Aiden,” Lisa’s voice cut through my thoughts. I looked up to see her frowning at me from across the table. “You’re not eating. Is something wrong?”
I sighed and pushed my plate away. “I’m not hungry.”
Lisa’s frown deepened. “You’ve been distant lately. You barely talk to me, and now you won’t eat. What’s going on?”
“I told you, I’m fine,” I replied, my tone sharper than I intended.
Lisa’s face hardened. “Fine? Aiden, I have an appointment with the doctor t
