Anna lasted exactly thirty minutes in her apartment before the silence became unbearable.
The walls felt too close, the air too still, and every blink dragged another memory of last night across her mind like a fresh bruise being brushed.
She couldn’t go to the hospital, couldn’t trust her hands not to shake or her voice not to crack.
She wasn't fit to be at work. She wasn't sure she was fit to be anywhere.
So she grabbed her phone and walked out.
Helen’s apartment was the only place she could think of where her chest wouldn’t feel like it was caving in.
She knocked, then keyed in the door code when there was no reply.
“Helen?” She called out when she walked in, and saw no one in the living room.
There was no answer, only silence.
Her brows furrowed. “Is she not around?” S
