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Let This Be Nothing

Author: Siwa Rose
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-04 05:49:38

Imogene Scott

As soon as we buckle Lily into the backseat, I can feel my heart squeezing in my chest. Damien and I slid into the front seat and he starts the engine. But his gaze flickers to me before pulling out of the parking lot.

"It's going to be fine," he says, but I can hear the tension underneath.

He’s trying to reassure me, but all I can think about is how wrong everything feels. I look back at Lily through the rearview mirror. Her tiny body is slumped slightly and her eyelids flutter as if even staying awake is too much effort.

I force myself to breathe, to keep it together, but the sight of her pale face, the way her little hands rest limply in her lap, is too much for me to take in.

"She's too warm," I murmur, more to myself than to Damien.

My hand is hovering over her forehead again as if I could do something—anything—to make her feel better. Damien reaches over, squeezing my knee gently. His eyes briefly meeting mine.

"Kids get fevers. Kids get tired. We’re just
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