Chapter 55

• JESSIE'S POV
• The gentle, rhythmic tick-tock of the kitchen clock was the only sound brave enough to break the oppressive silence that had descended upon the house. It was a silence so heavy, so thick, it felt like it could choke the air from my lungs. I sat at the kitchen table, both hands wrapped tightly around the warm ceramic mug Cal had handed me moments ago. Peppermint tea—my comfort drink. He knew that, of course he did. He knew all my small habits, my little quirks, my unspoken needs. Still, tonight, even the familiar comfort of the steaming mug felt insufficient. It couldn't fill the cavernous ache in my chest.
• Olivia had gone after Tamara. I had watched her leave through the front window, a lone, determined silhouette disappearing down the dimly lit street. Tamara hadn't come home after everything was revealed. She needed time, space—probably air to breathe away from the crushing weight of this impossible truth. I understood. God, did I understand. A part of me wanted to run after her, to explain, to beg for forgiveness, but I knew she needed distance from us all, especially from me.