Evelyn’s POV
I was still shaking.
The kind of shaking that started somewhere deep in your chest and wouldn’t stop, no matter how still you tried to be.
Louis hadn't said anything in the car on the way home. He kept one hand on the wheel, the other gripping the steering tightly like it was the only thing keeping him from breaking.
I kept hearing the message.
“I miss you so much. I want to see you badly.”
My mother’s phone.
Her number.
Her words.
Or… someone pretending to be her.
Each possibility made my stomach twist in a different way.
We pulled up to the house, and I just sat there for a moment, staring at the front door like I didn't recognize it anymore. This place used to feel safe. Now it felt like a hollow shell.
Louis came around and opened the door for me. I climbed out slowly, like my body had forgotten how to move.
He didn't touch me.
Not yet.
But his presence hovered close, solid and steady.
Inside, the silence wrapped around me like a thick blanket I couldn’t shake off. I
