Chapter 71 - We shouldn't even be talking about this

The next morning couldn’t have come any quicker.

By 7 am, I’m in the living room, packing my bag, ready to get out of here. The house is quiet—everyone else is still asleep. The air feels heavy, and every sound I make seems amplified in the silence. I shove my pajamas into the bag, feeling my hands tremble slightly. 

“Celeste,” Tamrin’s voice breaks through the silence. I turn around, startled, as she walks into the living room, her hair tousled from sleep. She looks at me with confusion and worry as I zip up my bag, fixing to leave. “Why are you leaving so early?” she asks, coming to stand in front of me, blocking my path to the door.

“Because I want to go home,” I say, my voice thick with emotion. I swallow hard, trying to keep it together, but there’s a burning pain rising in my chest, threatening to spill over. I didn’t think what happened last night had affected me this much, but s