Are you mad?

Nora led him to the couch and sat down.

Nora's hand reached out, patting the cushion beside her on the couch.

"Greg, please sit," she said, her voice barely a whisper. Her eyes, usually bright and lively, were brimming with unshed tears. Greg's heart plummeted. He knew where this was going, he felt it in the tension that crackled between them.

He sat down beside her, bracing himself for the storm.

"Greg," Nora began, her voice thick with emotion,

"I need to tell you something, something that's been tearing me apart. Please know, everything I say comes from a place of deep love, for you and Graycen."

His chest tightened. Love, he thought, a bitter tang on his tongue. Was that what it was? Or was it something else, something more painful?

"When we first met, that day at the mall" she continued, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips, "I admit, you weren't exactly my cup of tea. You were rude and a bit standoffish." He chuckled humorlessly, remembering their fiery first encounter.

"Bu