An evening with alpha
through fragments of dreams I could no longer piece together. The sun was already high, its rays filtering through the sheer c
ounds-my mother bustling in the kitchen, the faint hum of Lyara's music-were absent. The sile
nd a note on the counter, written
ceremony. Lyara is with me. You have
suffocating. But instead, they left me feeling untethered, as though the walls themselves were closing in. I
inside me. Memories of last night lingered, Ethan's words replaying in my mind. "You've been running for a long time. Maybe it's
sleek black car pulling into the driveway, the sunlight glinting off its polished surfac
eatures, given him a quiet confidence that hadn't been there before. He caug
t same smooth warmth that had once been m
was like being hit with a wave of emotions I had worked so hard to bury-pain,
that didn't quite reach his e
ha
unspoken words hanging heavy in the air. I crossed
" he said, breaking the silence
tone edged with sarcasm. "But I doubt you
familiar and foreign. "No, I didn
I asked, finally
, his gaze searching mine. "A
eatening to reopen. "There's nothing to
but insistent. "I know I hurt you, Allita. I mad
morning. "Caring? Is that what you call it? You
think you can just show up here after all these y
et. "I know I can't undo the past. But
u don't get to decide that, Adrian. You don't get to
y. "I'm asking for a chance. A chance to show yo
anted to hate him, to hold onto the anger that had fueled me for so long. B
ension. I turned to see Ethan stepping out of his truck, his expression hardening as h
here?" he asked, his
, though the tension i
dded. "I should go. But this isn'
the quiet morning. I watched as he drove away, my emotions a tangled mess. Ethan's
e asked, his
ed, the truth slipping o
n understanding. "If you
iveway, I couldn't shake the feeling that Adrian's return was just the beginning. The