Caroline spent most of the day at Thorne's place without moving more than she had to.
Winter light slid through the blinds in thin, pale strips, cutting across the clean lines of his living room. The apartment was still unfamiliar, but it felt safer than her own.
She stayed on the couch with the blanket, wrapped up like she could make herself smaller and harder to find. The concussion left her head heavy and her vision slightly off whenever she shifted. Bruises throbbed in places she didn't want to name. But the physical pain was easier than the other kind—the constant awareness that someone had wanted her afraid enough to crash.
Her phone lay within reach on the cushion beside her. The screen stayed dark, but her hand kept drifting toward it anyway.
The absence didn't calm her. It o
