AVERY’s POV
A nurse came in to check my vitals. She was quiet, her movements efficient and cold. Hindi ko alam kung pagod lang siya o kung nabasa niya rin ang mga balita at hinuhusgahan ako sa isip niya. I felt like a specimen under a microscope. Every time she touched my arm to check the blood pressure cuff, I flinched.
"Ma'am, kailangan niyo pong mag-relax," she said, not looking at me. "Tumataas po ang heart rate niyo."
"I'm trying," mahinang bulong ko.
Pero paano ka magre-relax kung ang sarili mong pangalan ay parang naging mura sa bibig ng ibang tao?
Pagkaalis ng nurse, muling bumalik ang katahimikan. I reached for my phone, my fingers trembling. I opened our message thread. The last message from Blythe was from yesterday morning, before everything went to hell: “Good morning, Av
