The kitchen felt too quiet after he left. His smoke still lingered faintly in the air, mixed with the leftover scent of my shampoo. I yanked open a cabinet, pulling down a pan just to hear the clatter against the counter. Anything to drown out the silence.
I’d barely set it down when my phone rang from the bedroom. The sound startled me, sharp in the stillness. With a groan, I left the pan where it was and headed down the hall.
The screen lit up as I grabbed it off the nightstand. Nova.
I swiped to answer. “Hey.”
“Tessa,” her voice was quick, worried. “How are you? I’m so sorry I couldn’t stay at the hospital with you yesterday. I had to take that test I missed this morning. It was a nightmare. I wanted to be there—”
I cut her off softly. “It’s fine. I’m okay.” The lie came out flat.
