VALERIE
The cool water of the indoor pool was the only thing that could quiet my mind.
I had finally come back home after spending days stuck at the hospital with Nathan and his family. Between his wired jaw, his mother's endless hysterics, and the suffocating weight of everything hanging over my head, I was completely drained, stressed, and exhausted to my very bones. I just needed to breathe. I needed to relax.
I pushed myself up out of the water, sitting on the marble edge of the pool. My legs dangled in the blue water, my wet hair slicked back over my shoulders, dripping onto my skin. Tears filled my eyes before I could stop them, hot and silent, slipping down my cheeks as I stared blankly at the floor.
"You're back."
The deep voice broke through the quiet echo of the pool ho
