(Casey's POV)
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That morning, Lena remained quiet, her silence speaking volumes more than any words ever could. She moved around the room softly, gracefully, as if trying not to disturb the stillness between us—but it was already shattered. I could feel it, the space that had grown between us, delicate yet undeniably present. She didn't have to say anything for me to know that something still lingered, unresolved, just beneath the surface of her calm expression.
Even though we had shared something powerful the night before, something that felt like a step toward healing, I understood that it wasn't enough. Not yet. We had reached an impasse, a quiet crossroads where both of us had drawn invisible lines in the sand. She had made her position clear—not out of spite, but out of pain, out of longing for something real and whole.
