Chapter 35

• JUDY’S POV
• One evening, Chris approached me, his steps slow and weighted, as if he bore the burdens of his entire world. His usual composure and confidence were absent, replaced by an unfamiliar tension etched across his face.
• The air between us felt heavy, thick with unspoken emotions, like the charged silence before a storm. As he stood before me, his hesitance only heightened the sense of unease creeping into the space we shared.