Page 137 of When the Storm Breaks
He flinches. “Calla—”
“No.” I cut him off, the last thread snapping. “You’re right. We’re done here.”
I jerk the wheel into a U-turn. Haiyden’s body jolts, his brow furrowing as he glances at me.
“What are you doing?”
I press harder on the gas, my voice certain. “Taking you home.”
Haiyden leans back, letting his head thud softly against the headrest. He doesn’t say anything. Just turns to the window, eyes fixed on nothing.
The ride back is silent. Thick. A pressure instead of a pause.
My hands tighten, knuckles aching, but I keep my eyes forward. Because if I look at him—if I let myself feel anything more—Iwillbreak.
When I pull to the front of his building, he doesn’t move. I keep my gaze on the windshield, pulse hammering in my throat.
The silence feels like it might crack the air between us. I don’t know if he’s stalling, or just as afraid to tear through it as I am.
But I do, anyway.
“Were you ever going to tell me your sister was friends with Jules?”
Silence.
Long, suffocating silence.
Then, finally—his voice is so quiet, so broken, it barely reaches me.
“No.”
He pushes the door open. Steps out. Slams it shut behind him.
I stare at the space where he was, like if I wait long enough, he might come back.
But he doesn’t.
And this time, I don’t chase him.
Chapter 45
Calla
I just need to get home.
My surroundings are familiar—almost. I recognize them in fragments, but the details slip away when I try to focus. Still, I keep moving, following a path that feels like it was made for me.
But something’s wrong.
The air is thick, heavy with a haze that clings to my skin. It’s impossible to tell where it ends and the world begins. The ground is damp beneath my feet, soft like fresh earth after rain. It gives with every step—like it might swallow me whole if I stop moving.
I press forward—and with a single blink, everything shifts.
The trees dissolve. The damp earth vanishes.
Asphalt.
Cracked and rough beneath my feet. My steps slap against it, but the sound is wrong—distant, muted.
