Noah’s arm was draped loosely over my waist, his breathing slow and even. In the faint orange light bleeding through the curtains, I stared at the ceiling, tracing the cracks in the paint like they might give me answers but sleep wouldn’t come. Every time I closed my eyes, the weight of the key in my pocket pulsed against my leg, as if it were more than metal or as if it were a question I wasn’t ready to face.
I slid out from under his arm as quietly as I could. The hardwood was cool under my bare feet as I padded into the sitting room, careful not to wake him or Nova.
The house was too quiet, the kind of silence that made every tick of the clock feel amplified. I curled up on the couch, knees pulled tight to my chest, and pulled the key from my pocket. My thumb traced the ridges, memori
