LILY’S POVI could feel my heartbeat—each pulse pounding, aching, like a quiet scream within me. Andrew sat beside me, close but not too close, his face a mixture of compassion and worry.He searched my face, as if he could somehow read the pain written there, wanting so badly to understand, to help carry whatever burden weighed me down. I hadn’t wanted him here. I’d told him to leave, but he stayed. And a part of me—a small, bruised part I barely acknowledged—felt grateful.“Lily…” he murmured, his voice a gentle, steady plea. “Please, talk to me.”Words seemed too dangerous, too revealing. I pressed my lips together, shaking my head, fighting against the tears stinging my eyes. “I... I don’t know how,” I whispered, barely finding the strength to say it. My voice broke, a small, fractured sound.His gaze softened even more. “I’m here,” he said simply, a promise in those two words. “For you, no matter what.”His kindness felt like a blade slicing through old scars, painful in its gent
Last Updated : 2024-10-25 Read more