Chapter 62

• Stacey’s POV:
• The house was quiet that evening, the kind of stillness that settles when sadness lingers long enough to become part of the air. I was chopping vegetables in the kitchen, the rhythmic thud of the knife against the cutting board the only sound keeping me grounded. Tessa’s giggle floated in from the living room, followed by Noah’s laughter.
• He had come by again, like he always did lately. A warm presence in the storm that had become my life. While everything else had shattered—my career, my reputation, my dreams—Noah kept showing up, like a heartbeat I could still count on.