My hand trembled as I reached for the phone on the side table. The world felt too quiet, too empty. My chest hurt, my lungs couldn't draw air properly, and my heart wouldn't stop screaming. The tears were still coming, hot and uncontrollable, dripping down my chin and soaking the sheets.
I unlocked the screen, scrolled through my contacts until my blurred vision landed on a single name. Belle.
My thumb hovered over the call button for a long moment. I didn't even know why I was calling her. I didn't have words, just the unbearable weight in my chest, the kind that felt like it might cave in my ribs and crush whatever was left inside me.
I pressed call.
The phone rang. Once. Twice. Then—
"Sebastian?" Her voice was soft, worried, a little breathless. "What's wrong?"
I opened my mouth… but nothing came out. The air caught in my throat like a knife. I could only breathe, ragged and uneven, the sound ugly in the silence.
