Chapter 3: The Message
Chapter 3: The Message
It was just after sunrise when my phone finally lit up again.
Not a call.
A message.
Michael.
I heard the delivery went fine. I’ll come by later when things calm down. We need to talk about boundaries. Amber was right—you’ve been very intense lately.
I read it once.
Then again.
My heartbeat didn’t spike this time.
It settled.
Strangely.
Calmly.
Rachel read over my shoulder and let out a sound that wasn’t quite a laugh and wasn’t quite a growl.
“He didn’t even ask about his daughter,” she said.
I kept looking at the screen.
Something inside me clicked into place—not loudly, not dramatically.
May you like
Quietly.
Like a door finally closing on its own.
