Noah woke up to the sound of his own breathing—uneven, too loud, like his body was trying to remind him of something he wasn’t ready to face. For a moment, he didn’t open his eyes, because opening them meant stepping back into everything: the fall, Lydia’s voice, Hayes crying, and the fear. So he stayed still, just for a second longer, pretending that if he didn’t move, none of it had really happened. “Noah?” Lydia’s voice was softer now, careful—too careful. He opened his eyes slowly. The ceiling came into focus first, then the blur beside him, and then Lydia. Her face hovered above him, closer than usual, not guarded or distant, but raw. Her eyes were red, not from panic anymore, but from holding too much in. “You scared me,” she said. Noah forced a small breath out. “I’m okay,” he said. Lydia didn’t move or blink, as if she were trying to decide if she believed him. “You passed out,” she said. “I know.” “You didn’t respond.” “I know.” “You hit the floor.”“I know.” Sil
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