TESSA
The swing creaked beneath me as I shifted my weight, the cold air brushing against my skin like a quiet reminder that I was somewhere I didn’t belong. I stayed still anyway, letting the silence wrap around me and soften the pieces inside me that always felt sharp these days. The garden was dim, lit only by fairy lights hanging from the trees and the fading sparks of leftover fireworks drifting down from the sky. Everyone else was inside celebrating the new year, but I couldn’t bring myself to go back in. Not yet.
The wind moved through the leaves, and for a second, it almost felt peaceful. Almost.
Then footsteps crunched against the gravel.
My eyes lifted, and of course. Of course, it had to be him.
Adrian stepped into the garden as if the night itself had invited him. A cigaret
