Chapter 286: Filling in the Blanks (Katelyn's POV)

(Katelyn's POV)

We sat in silence in the living room... not the one we usually sat in when we watched movies, but the one where I'd met with Ryder and Tyler's parents for the first time. It felt like eons ago now...

The weight of unsaid words pressed down on all of us, but no one seemed willing to be the first one to start talking. My gaze drifted to the large window overlooking the back garden and the forest. Outside, life went on. The birds flew through the trees, the bees buzzed around in search of flowers, the bugs did whatever it was that bugs did, but here we sat inside... quiet and still, like time had momentarily paused for us.

Tyler sat on the sofa opposite me while Ryder stood beside the fireplace with his arms crossed and his jaw set. Both watched me patiently as if waiting for me to kick off the conversation. But where would I even start?

Jenna sat beside me, perched nervously on the edge of the sofa, twisting her fingers in her lap as she waited for the conversation to com