Chapter 8

• “Ava, you’ve been distant all night. What’s going on?”
• Lowan’s voice broke through the thick silence between us. We were sitting in the garden, a place that used to feel peaceful, but now, with every passing second, it felt more suffocating. My thoughts were too loud, too heavy, and they drowned out everything else. The cool night air did nothing to calm the storm that had settled in my chest.
• “I’m fine,” I lied, forcing a smile that I could feel falter the moment it formed.