(Michelle Lui's POV)
The door clicked shut.
Soft.
Too soft.
But the silence that followed was deafening.
I didn't move.
I didn't breathe.
My body felt stuck in place — like my bones forgot how to hold me up, like my heart forgot where it was supposed to beat.
Steven's voice still lingered in the air:
"I'm sorry I feel this way."
A confession without saying the words.
A fracture without the actual shattering.
A pain without the permission to express it.
I pressed a hand to my chest.
Why did it feel like I was the one who'd cracked him open?
Why did it feel like I'd just returned a piece of sadness that belonged to another lifetime?
I forced out a shaky breath and sat on the edge of the couch.
Kate peeked her head out of the bedroom door like a cautious meerkat.
"Did he cry?"
"…No."
"Did you cry?"
"…No."
"Do I need to punch someone?"
"…No."
She came out and sat next to me, eyes softened with concern.
