CHAPTER 153

A few days passed, and the emptiness within me grew like a shadow, dark and consuming. Every corner of Aunt Lou’s house seemed to echo with memories of Leon, even though I was the one who ended things.

I had expected him to show up, to knock on the door and beg me to take him back, to tell me it was all a mistake. But instead, there was nothing—no calls, no messages, no sign of him at all. It was as if he had vanished from my life as easily as a dream fades in the morning light.

Frustration bubbled up inside me, an anger I couldn’t quite place. Why wasn’t he trying to win me back? Did he care so little? The questions spun in my head, growing louder with each passing hour.

Finally, the pressure became too much, and I let out a scream, sharp and sudden, piercing the quiet of my room. I hadn’t meant to, but the sound was out before I could stop it. I slumped back on the bed, feeling ridiculous and even more alone than before.

There was a knock on my door, and I sat up, startled. I had c