Chapter 21

Chapter 21

As the days stretched into weeks and then months, my tears became a constant companion, marking the passage of time with aching familiarity; five months had slipped away, yet I still cried each day and night. Therapy felt futile, a hollow attempt to mend the shattered pieces of my heart that seemed destined to remain fragmented. Each night, I found solace on my balcony, gazing at the stars and wishing desperately for my love to return, but deep down, I knew that wishes whispered to distant lights rarely materialized. The weight of my longing drained me, leaving me feeling as if I were merely existing, a shadow of the person I used to be.

In Ace's letter, the cracks of his world and the weight of his choices emerged vividly; he explained the brutal realities of his life, how power was claimed through violence, and the difficult decisions that led him to leave. He articulated that as things escalated, it would become increasingly dangerous for both Micah and me to