LOGINSierra.I hear my name being called, the voice slipping through the edges of my consciousness. There are noises in the background, muffled and distant, like Iâm underwater and the world above is just out of reach.Someone says my name again, but cracking my eyes open feels impossible. Every sound fe
He steps closer, not backing down. âThen tell me this: why didnât you leave once you dropped them off? Why are you still here?ââI stayed for Lilly and for Mom,â I say, gripping onto the words like a lifeline. âI know this is hard for them.âI want to believe that. I need to believe that. Itâs the o
I can feel everyoneâs heavy stare on me. Stares full of questions and suspicion.Damn it all to hell. How could I fucking slip like that?My heartâs pounding so hard it feels like it might burst through my chest. I donât even understand why I asked about the baby in the first place. I donât care abo
That shuts her up. The car falls back into heavy, tense silence.My heartbeat spikes the moment we pull up to the hospital. Lilly doesnât even wait for me to park before she throws open the door and bolts toward the entrance.âShit,â Uncle Gabe mutters, already getting out to follow her.I park as q
Everything inside me freezes. For a moment, itâs like the world just stops. My lungs forget how to work. The room fades. Fuck. I shouldnât be affected. That news shouldnât be hitting me like a damn truck, but it does. Itâs like someoneâs taken a blade to my chest and twisted it, shredding whateverâ
Uncle Gabe nods slowly, his usual gruffness giving way to something gentler. âYou blink, and theyâre adults. Responsible ones, too.â He clears his throat. âThough one of them still has a knack for causing heart attacks every once in a while.âDad chuckles, but Uncle Gabe turns his piercing grey gaze







