LILY
By the time Emma pulled the car into our small driveway, the adrenaline had long drained out of my body. What remained was a dull, dragging exhaustion that sat heavy in my bones, like someone had filled my limbs with wet sand.
My legs still trembled when I stepped out, and my head swam. I blamed the stress, the aftermath of pain, the hours of shock. The world felt slightly tilted, as if I wasn’t fully inside my body yet. As if something was still ringing inside me.
But nothing, nothing felt heavier than the shame sitting in my chest.
All three jobs gone, and in one day.
I still couldn’t believe it.
The house was quiet when we walked in, too quiet, like even the air hesitated. I dropped my bag by the door and tried to steady my breathing, but the moment Emma shut the door behind
