The night had gone still by the time the house settled again. Outside, the ocean murmured against the pier, a slow rhythm that slipped through the cracks in the old window frames. The air carried salt and the faint sweetness of jasmine from the garden. Inside, every board and pipe seemed to breathe around me, the Victorian alive in its own quiet way, holding on to everything that had been said within its walls.
Oceano’s words still clung to me. She had left hours ago, but her voice lingered like the echo of tidewater against stone. Think before you fall too far.
It sounded simple, almost gentle, but I knew what she hadn’t said out loud, once you start falling, it’s already too late to stop.
The laptop glowed in the dim light, casting a pale blue halo across the table. I stared at the sc
