LAUREN'S POV

It had already been thirty minutes since I opened my eyes, yet I still lay there motionless, staring up at the ceiling like it could somehow give me the strength I lacked. It wasn’t laziness that kept me in bed — it was the heaviness pressing down on my chest, the silent battle raging inside my mind. Today wasn’t just any ordinary day. Today was Friday, the day everything felt so real and so painfully different.

Today, Elena would be leaving to spend the rest of the week at Ethan’s house. The thought alone squeezed my heart in a way I couldn’t describe. I tried to convince myself...