's

opping into my phone, I decide to call it a day and head

ely noticed. My mind had been a whirlpool all day, pulled under by the weight of the text messages I'd received that mo

you, Ava. I've

it was him, he would have brought up Annabel, wouldn't he? But Who else would reach out like this, in such a creepy way? But why now? After all the

d to just move forward. But one thing was clear, I couldn't bring this up to Andrew, I didn't want him to worry about me, he always did. At least not yet. He had enough on hi

racing through all the possible scenarios of what Derek might want. A part of me wanted to confront him, demand that he leave me alone, but another part was

oor, the smell of coffee lingered in the

from the kitchen. "H

itchen counter, sipping from a mug of coffee. His expression was cal

ing my bag down by the entrance. I offered him a small smile,

hallway. "The kid passed out after lunch. I guess

lked over to the kitchen island, picking up an apple from the fruit bowl, though I wasn't really hun

ushing himself off the counter

," I said, trying to keep my tone casual. "A bit slow, honestly. Just more mee

way of noticing when something was off, even if I didn't want him to. I could feel the weight of his un

to shift the focus away from myself. "Did

beside me. "I did, actually. Not much to do when T

rface. I glanced at him briefly, trying to read his expression. His eyes were soft, familiar, and

I bit into the apple. The crisp crunch was satisfying, but it

watched me carefully, his fingers tracing the rim of his co

the silence. "You

ickening. Of course, he'

, my voice a little too qui

his mug, crossing his arms as he studied me. "I

out the messages. About how they had unsettled me. But the thought of dragging him into this mess, of

"Really. Just... thinking about how I could

g as he leaned back against the counter again. "Alright, You don't need to handle that projec

aze as I took another bi

the past seven years of my life. But that didn't mean I was ready to open up. Not about this. Espec

to see Tristan stumbling groggily down the stairs and into the living room, his ha

bled, his voice

o his level, pulling him into a gentle hug.

some of the tension in my body ease as I held him close. Tristan al

his eyes fading just a bit. "I think someone needs a s

food, pulling away from me and nod

air. "How about some fruit first

ady started preparing a small plate of sliced apples and strawberries. For a moment, it felt like any other af

ching him with a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes. Andrew glanced

, and the anxiety I had been trying to suppress all day started to creep back in. The messages hadn't stopped. My phone had

ng at the unread messages. Andrew was in his office, finishing up some work, giving me the

. I need to see you. I'm sorr

as I read the latest message

calm I had fought to hol