LOGINARIELLA I kept watching Leon and Asher's figure even when they had disappeared completely when Sia asked, “So you're not a morning person, are you?” I turned toward her. “I am. But not if I have to exercise first thing.” “Not at all?” “Absolutely not.” She laughed. “And Asher's trying to g
ARIELLA "No," I said shaking my head. "I am not doing it anymore." "You barely started," Asher said. "I'm finished." "You ran for three minutes." "It felt like two years." Leon laughed so hard he nearly fell over. "Mom." "No." "Mom." "No. No, no." "You look and sound exactly like Leon wh
ASHER "I think... yeah. I mean, I guess someone who can help me deal with this. Give me ways to deal with this." Ariella explained herself. I tightened my hold on her hands. "I'm here." She looked at me. "Nobody deserves your thoughts. Nobody deserves your truth. Nobody deserves you more than
ASHER Ariella had the right connections to get whatever drugs she could pump into herself if she wanted to. She had the means to do it, and I wasn’t going to let her. “It’s gotta stop,” I told her point-blank without sugar coating it. She narrowed her eyes at me. “I know about your little alcoh
ASHER I stayed patient... or at least I tried. Finding out about the alcohol was the moment that really terrified me. Because Ariella wasn’t like that, she wasn’t reckless and she barely drank unless it was socially, and even then she never lost control of herself. But grief changes people. Loss
ASHER As soon as Leon disappeared, the room became quieter. I slipped my hands into my pockets. “How is he doing?” I asked. Sia’s face softened immediately. “He’s doing great,” she said honestly. “Just as he said himself. If he keeps progressing like this, I’ll contact the school so he can sit
ARIELLA I rub my temples, trying to push the ache away, but it only grows heavier, pressing against the sides of my skull like it’s trying to split me open. My breathing feels too loud in the silence. I don’t even know why I’m thinking about trusting Alan. Maybe because right now, he’s the only
ASHER I didn’t know where I was going. I just knew I couldn’t stay in that room. Not with her staring at me like that. Not with everything inside me cracking wide open. So I kept walking, down the hallway, down the stairs, through the house that now felt too quiet, too heavy with what hadn’t been
ARIELLA Luca’s voice dropped lower, deliberate, each word heavy as it settled into the room. “This isn’t about threats anymore. This isn’t about the mistakes we’ve already made. Those mistakes are already done.” He paused, letting the weight hang between us. “Right now, this is about survival. F
ASHER Ariella is smiling. Really smiling. Her hair is tucked behind one ear. Her hand gestures in midair as she talks, and then she laughs at something Maria says. That sound...God, that sound. I used to hear it in my dreams. I used to ache for it in the silence of every damn night. And now it’s







