HERA
The room erupted into whispers, voices rising like a tide threatening to drown me. My heart raced, and I could feel everyone’s stares. My breaths came quicker, shallower.
No, no, no… this can’t be happening.
I glanced at Atticus, desperate for something—reassurance, a plan, anything. He looked calmer than I felt, his jaw tight and his shoulders squared, but his eyes betrayed him. There was, behind that façade, the same panic threatening to swallow me whole.
I couldn’t stay still anymore. My gaze snapped to the pews, scanning row after row, ignoring the concerned and judgemental faces of everyone.
Where the hell is Ben?
I leaned closer to Atticus, my voice barely audible as I whispered,
“Ben’s not in the hall.”
Atticus’s head jerked slightly, and his gaze swept the room, as i
