LOGINEdward’s POV The coffee had a skin on it. Grey film spreading slowly across the surface, as if it were growing something. I had been staring long enough to watch it form. Maria made it on Friday before she left. Said something about her sister’s birthday. Her sister has been dead for three years.
"I do not." "You do. They get mushy." Dad walked into the kitchen. Opened the cabinet. Pulled out the pasta pot. "I'll help," he said. Lily pointed her spoon at him. "You're not allowed to help. You just stand there and critique." "That's called quality control." "That's called being annoying.
Alicia's POV Friday. I turned off the engine and sat there. The house looked exactly like it always had. The railing needed paint. The mailbox tilted slightly to the left. Mrs. Edith's wind chimes from next door made that soft metallic sound they always made. Nothing had changed. Except me. La
"This isn't normal," she said quietly. "What isn't?" "This. You. Standing there like you have the right." "The right to what?" "To look at me that way." "What way?" "Like you want something." "I do want something." "You can't have it." "Can't I?" "No." "Why not?" "Because you gave it up.
Three feet between us now. Close enough that I could see her breathing shift. Close enough that if I extended my hand... "What else?" I asked. Her eyes stayed on mine. "Nothing that concerns you." "Everything about you concerns me." "Not anymore." Her nails dug into the binding. I watched t
Edward's POV The silence was unbearable. Edmund's pen hovered. David Park stared at the table. Priya's arms crossed. Vincent looked at his hands. Everyone waited. Alicia's hand stayed flat on the table. Fingers spread. Unmoving. I watched her face. Nothing. No tells. No hints. Just that same







