ROMAN
I stood on the porch alone, watching the morning stretch out quietly beyond the trees.
The air was cool, carrying that faint dampness that usually comes right before the sun fully settles in. Everything looked normal in a way that almost felt insulting.
Normal, as if nothing had changed.
As if I hadn’t changed.
I kept my hands resting on the railing, fingers curled lightly around the edge while my thoughts did what they had been doing since I woke up—refusing to settle.
There was a strange kind of stillness inside me.
Like my mind had finally caught up to everything it had been avoiding for too long and didn’t know where to land.
Behind me, the house was quiet. Everyone else was still inside, resting and recovering, giving the world a few more minutes before it demanded anyth
