Zane's car taillights faded down the road like two burning wounds shrinking into distance. The glow lingered in Willow's eyes, imprinting itself there like a bruise she could not blink away, no matter how hard she tried.
She stood frozen on the driveway with her back to the road, every muscle in her spine locked in place as if her body had decided that movement was no longer optional. It felt as though she required permission to breathe, to turn, to exist, and that permission had just driven away from her. She did not register the sound of gravel beneath her shoes or the quiet night pressing in around her. The world felt muffled and distant, as if she had slipped underwater without noticing the descent.
