ALINA’S POV
I still couldn’t believe she drove all the way to come pick me up. For real.
I followed Lila without a word, my footsteps light, almost apologetic, like I was afraid the ground itself might reject me. Shame clung to my skin the same way the evening heat did, sticky, suffocating, impossible to shake off. Regret sat somewhere in my chest too, heavy and dull, but it wasn’t loud. Nothing inside me was loud anymore. Everything felt muted, colorless, joyless.
Lila opened the passenger door for me, and I slipped into her car.
The silence between us wasn’t awkward. It was careful. Respectful. Like we were both aware that anything said too quickly might shatter what little was holding me together. The car smelled expensive, leather, soft citrus, something floral underneath. I kept m
