Elliot’s POVThe phone rang against my ear, and my hand shook so badly I had to press it tighter just to keep from dropping it. My throat was dry, words stuck somewhere between my chest and mouth. I didn’t even know why I pressed her name, why I needed her voice this bad. Maybe because Luciana was the only thing that ever felt steady when the rest of me felt like it was breaking apart.The ring cut off, and her voice slipped through, soft, tired, familiar.“Elliot?”That single word cracked me open. I dropped my head into my free hand, palm covering my eyes as if that could hold everything in. It didn’t. My chest caved. My breath came out shaky, uneven, almost choking me.“Yeah… it’s me,” I managed, though my voice didn’t sound like mine. It sounded thin, wrecked, nothing like the steady guy I pretended to be most days.There was a pause, the kind of silence where I could feel her listening, her concern pouring through the line even before she spoke.“You sound… off,” she said gently.
Last Updated : 2025-09-16 Read more