Page 238 of Before Dawn

Chapter Fifty-seven

Abigail-Ann

“Love is not something you find; love is something that finds you.”

~ Loretta Young

Ihave to tell him.

The words felt heavy in my throat, like stones bringing me down. He deserved to know the reason behind my vagueness, I kept reminding myself, but what if he ended up hating me for keeping it from him?

I’d seen him angry before—the kind that shook the ground—but this would be worse.

What if this shattered everything? What if this was the thing that pushed him too far?

No, I couldn’t think like that.We’d been over this. He was gentle in a way that made me feel safe, but even that reassurance felt fragile, like a thread ready to snap under my fears.

What if I was wrong? What if the truth pushed him away instead of drawing us closer? The thought sent a wave of nausea rolling through me.

Just then, my phone buzzed on the counter, jolting me from my spiral of anxiety. It was a message from Mikkel.

Baby, I’ll be home a little late.

My heart sank. A simple text, but it felt loaded with implications.Why was he going to be late? Did he not want to see me? Did something terribly wrong happen?Suddenly, my mind was a whirlwind of dramatic scenarios, each one more alarming than the last.

Panic clawed at my chest, tightening like a vice and strength felt so far away. With a shaky breath, I typed a response, my fingers hovering above the keyboard.

Okay, be safe. I’ll be here.

I walked into the living room, the weight of his text pressing on me like an anvil. My vision blurred with tears, the uncertainty flickering on the screen. Today couldn’t get worse, but the thought twisted in my stomach like a knife.

I exhaled, forcing myself to breathe deeply. The anxiety gripped me, but I closed my eyes, counting my breaths—inhale, hold, exhale—until my heartbeat slowed.

Then, I walked into the next room, where the rose sat and tapped the glass, watching a petal fall. The words etched on it read:Your laugh is my favorite sound, followed by the quote:The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

I took a deep breath and stepped into the living room just as my phone buzzed, Azzaria’s name glowing on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Let me in,” she said, urgency slicing through the air.

“What?” I managed, confusion knotting my brow. “I’m at Mikkel’s.”

“I’m at Mikkel’s door. Let me in.”

Dread and disbelief coursed through me as I opened the door to find Azzaria, her face a storm of anger and worry.

“Are you—”

“Mikkel asked me to stay with you, in a panicked and angry state, and Dillon and Arnoldo are there. I don’t know much about Mikkel’s anger, but whenever Dillon’s like that, it means he’s about to do somethingreallybad.” Azzaria’s voice sliced through the chaos in my mind.

Too many things were happening right now.

“I know how bad your anxiety gets,” she whispered. “But tell me what’s going on please.”

The moment she said it, the dam holding me together broke. I collapsed into her arms, sobs wracking my body as I buried my face in her shoulder. “It’s a mess,” I cried, my voice muffled against her shirt.“I’m a mess!”

Her arms tightened around me, but it couldn’t stop the tears or the pain. I cried until my body shook, until there was nothing left.

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