IVA
My entire body went still, and I felt the ground beneath me sway. Scrambling to my feet, my throat went dry, words sticking like shards of glass.
“M–Mom?” I barely recognized my own voice. “What… what are you doing here?”
Her eyes glistened as tears gathered faster than she could blink them away, her mouth parting again. No words came out this time, however, and instead she took a shaky step forward. It took her a moment to steady her voice enough to speak.
“Nik called me,” she said softly. “He told me you were sick, Iva.” I froze, the air escaping the room before my vision blurred. Behind her, Nik reappeared, phone still in hand. Guilt twisted his face, and I turned to him, my disbelief morphing into fury that burned hot through my veins.
“You did what?”
He opened his mouth. “
