Caught in the Crossfire

Her phone had beeped several times, and it had rung even more, but Calista’s thoughts were too crowded to bring herself to pick it up.

She sat in the café, gazing at her half-empty cup of coffee. The noise of the bustling café filled the air, a stark contrast to the chaos in her mind. She absentmindedly stirred the coffee, mesmerized by the swirling patterns, but the warmth offered little comfort to her frayed nerves.

Her mind kept drifting back to the events from a few hours ago. She was still in shock at the sheer intensity of Ranya’s anger. She had never seen him in such a state before, and it baffled her. The memory of how he had almost reached out to wipe her tears sent her heart racing again. Emily must be really sad right now, she thought.

Calista sighed deeply. She had spent the last few days avoiding any direct contact with Ranya, trying to process the whirlwind of events that had thrown her life into chaos.

Her phone vibrated on the table. This time, she reached for it, her