(Lena)
I woke up later than usual and stayed still for a few minutes.
For once, there was no alarm dragging me out of bed and no meeting waiting before I could think properly. The morning was quiet in a way I hadn’t expected.
No raised voices.
No Jade moving through the house like she belonged there more than I did.
Jade was gone.
I knew it before I left the room. There was no voice in the hallway, no movement outside my door, no reminder waiting to ruin my mood before the day even started. It didn’t fix anything, but it made the morning easier to face.
I reached for my phone and saw Diane’s message confirming she’d be here Friday afternoon.
I read it twice before setting the phone down.
I was still thinking about what Evelyn had told me too. Cole was right. We needed proof before
