057

LIAM

I didn’t move.

Not at first.

Just sat there on the ground like my body forgot how to function. The cold from the floor seeped through my jeans, but I barely felt it. My chest was tight—like something was lodged between my ribs and couldn’t come out, no matter how hard I breathed.

I’d watched her get into his car. I’d watched the way she didn’t look back. And I just sat there, like an idiot, blinking at the empty space she left behind.

Jessica was gone.

And this time… she really meant it.

“Fuck,” I whispered, dragging my hands down my face. “What the fuck just happened?”

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out instinctively—hoping, praying it was her.

It wasn’t.

I stared at the screen, my heart thudding like it was trying to escape my chest. I didn’t know who to call. No one felt right.

But my thumb moved on its own.

Jessica’s mom.

God, I hadn’t even thought about what time it was. My hand shook as I held the phone to my ear.

She picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Hi, m