Brandon's POV
The faint sound of birds pulled me out of sleep.
For a second, I forgot where I was — until I turned and saw Madison curled up beside me, her breathing, soft and even. Morning light slipped through the curtains, washing her in pale gold.
She looked peaceful. Finally,
After everything that had gone down the past few days — the arrest, the news, the prison visit, the whispers, the way the whole house felt heavy with things we weren't saying — seeing her rest that way brought a strange kind of relief. But it was the sort of peace that came with guilt attached.
Because my mind wasn't quiet. It hadn't been since last night.
The memory hit me all at once — Chloe's face, the crack in her voice when she'd said my name, the way her eyes had shone under the porch light before I tore her apart with my words.
Words I didn't mean, but said anyway.
