Riley's POV
I don’t even realize when I get home. I don’t remember parking. I don’t remember unlocking the door. My body just moves on its own, carrying me inside like my mind has shut down completely. The door closes behind me, and that’s when everything hits at once.
I drop my bag on the floor without caring where it lands and head straight for my bedroom, then the bathroom, moving fast like if I stop for even a second, I’ll fall apart.
I turn the shower on cold and step under it fully clothed. The water hits me hard, knocking the breath out of my lungs, and I gasp, gripping the tiled wall to keep myself steady.
The cold hurts, and that’s exactly why I stay there.
I need something real. Something that isn’t the panic clawing at my chest and the fear sitting heavy in my stomach.
