TESSA.
The door slammed.
The sound cracked through the room like a gunshot, sharp enough that I flinched hard, my whole body jolting as if it had hit me instead. The echo lingered in my ears long after it faded down the hallway.
And then there was nothing.
No footsteps. No voice. Just the hollow space he left behind.
My legs gave out before my mind could catch up. I slid down against the wall, breath tearing out of me in broken pieces as my chest folded in on itself. The room felt too small, too tight, like the air had been sucked out with him.
I pressed my fist to my mouth, but it didn’t stop the sound. The sob came anyway—raw, ugly, uncontrollable.
The door opened again.
I barely registered it until footsteps rushed toward me. Adeline’s voice followed, softer now, cautious. “I th
