TESSA.
I lay on the floor long after the call ended. I didn’t know how much time had passed, maybe thirty minutes, maybe more. My breathing had steadied, but my chest still felt tight, like someone was gripping my ribs from the inside. My head throbbed from crying, and my eyes burned each time I blinked.
The house was too quiet.
I didn’t realize how silent everything felt until the front door suddenly burst open.
The sound shot straight through me.
I pushed myself off the floor, legs unsteady beneath me. My body felt heavy, numb, slow. I wiped my face with the back of my hand as I walked toward the living room, knowing Jaxson must have arrived.
But nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.
Jaxson, Ryder, and Cole stood frozen just inside the doorway. Completely still. Their eye
