Page 120 of When the Storm Breaks
My voice wavers. I force another breath.
“She had this notebook—ideas, recipes, things she wanted to try. She carried it everywhere. Always writing, like she had all the time in the world.”
I should stop. Close it off. Put the walls back up.
“And she just… didn’t.”
Calla watches. Just seeing me—in a way that no one else ever has.
The silence lingers, stretching and taking shape between us.
But a sound cuts through it—Calla’s teeth chattering. I turn my head just in time to see a shiver run through her small frame.
Something inside me locks up. It’s another reminder. Another goddamn sign that I’m not capable of taking care of the people I love.
I force myself to look away.
“Let’s go.”
My voice is final. Like slamming a door. One last nail in the coffin.
I turn, ready to leave it all behind, but out of the corner of my eye, I see Calla hesitate. She takes a slow, tentative step toward me—then stops herself. She holds my gaze for a second longer, then nods.
And this time, she walks in front of me.
Leading me back to the car.
Like she knows I’m the one who’s lost.
The drive back is suffocating. My hands tremble against thesteering wheel. I grip it tighter, lock my eyes on the road, hold myself together by a thread.
When I finally pull up in front of her apartment, I don’t let her speak.
“I’ll see you later,” I say. Distant, like I didn’t just tear myself open in front of her.
Her fingers twitch—like she wants to reach for me. Like she wants to say something. But she just nods. Quiet. Understanding.
And she steps out into the cold, shutting the door softly behind her.
I watch her go.
Watch the apartment door swing shut behind her.
Shift the car into drive.
And disappear.
Chapter 36
Haiyden
6:39 a.m.
Calla: I’m here if you need me.
Chapter 37
Haiyden
