Page 190 of When the Storm Breaks
The world keeps moving—just like it did without me. Just like it always will. But this time, I’m ready to move with it.
I love him.
And I’m done pretending I don’t.
I don’t know what comes next.
But this time, I’ll be brave enough to find out.
Chapter 61
Haiyden
At first, I think I’ve imagined it.
A knock cuts through the silence. Loud. Pounding. I freeze. Maybe I’m finally losing it.
Then another. Softer this time. Hesitant.
My pulse kicks up, hard.
I don’t move right away. I’m scared to. Scared that if I open that door, I’ll find nothing there. Just another hallucination.
But then Margot lifts her head, ears perked, and lets out a low whine.
No fucking way.
My feet move before my mind catches up.
I barely register the breath I take as my hand curls around the doorknob. But I open it anyway.
Calla.
She’s standing there—jacket zipped tight, cheeks flushed, breath coming fast. Her eyes find mine, anxious and unsure. Her hands stay buried in her pockets, shoulders curled like she doesn’t know whetherthis is a beginning or an end.
My chest caves in.
She’s here.
She came back.
My fingers twitch at my sides. I want to pull her in. Bury my face in her neck. Hold her so tightly she never disappears again.
But I don’t move. Don’t breathe.
Because she left for a reason. What if she’s only here to say goodbye?
“What are you doing here?” My voice scrapes out, rough.
She hesitates, licking her lips. “I—” She clears her throat. “I don’t want to run anymore.”
Something twists in my stomach. For a second, it feels like the floor tilts under me.
“I thought leaving would make things clearer,” she says, voice quiet. “I thought I’d finally be able to breathe if I put some distance between us. But I was wrong. All I could think about was you.”
I grip the edge of the door frame like it might anchor me, but I still feel like I’m dreaming. Like she might disappear any second.
“Calla—”
