Alessia
The nausea hit me the moment my eyes opened, a queasy churn in my stomach that refused to settle. At first, I thought it was leftover adrenaline from last night’s events, the gunshot still echoing in my mind like a haunting melody. But as I forced myself out of bed and stumbled toward the bathroom, I realized it wasn’t just my nerves. Something about today felt... wrong.
And it wasn’t just my body telling me so.
Jay wasn’t there.
Normally, the first thing I’d see when I opened my bedroom door was him—leaning casually against the wall, his sharp gaze scanning the hallway like he was preparing for war. But today, the space was empty.
I tried to tell myself I didn’t care, that I was relieved to finally have a moment to myself without his overbearing presence. But as I got ready
