Chapter 81

e drive back to my place was quiet. The kind of quiet that presses in on all sides, thick and heavy, broken only by the widt Inum of the engine and the occasional swish of tires over wet pavement. Darrell kept both fank on the wheel, eyes feed on the road, but I could feel him glancing at me every few minutes-quick, careful looks like he was checking if i was still breathing.

I stared out the passenger window at the passing streetlights, their orange glow smearing across the glass in streaks. My head rested against the cool window, forehead pressed to it until the chill seeped into my skin. Everything felt distant and numbe Like I was watching my own life through fogged glass.

When we pulled up to my building, the parking lot lights buzzed faintly overhead. Darrell turned off the engine. The sudden silence was louder than the drive had been.

unbuckled my seatbelt slowly, fingers clumsy, “Thanks for… driving me.”

He nodded once. “Of course.”

I opened the door and stepped out, and he followed without a word. I didn’t tell him to come up. He just did. Like it was the most natural thing

Inside my apartment, the air smelled faintly of laundry detergent and the vanilla candle I’d lit three days ago and never touched again. Everything looked the same-my books scattered on the coffee table, Lara’s sneakers by the door, the throw blanket still folded on the couch-but it all felt wrong. Empty. Like the space had lost its heartbeat when Mom left.