Page 271 of Before We Were

"I'm so glad you're okay. Please, for the love of God, don't you ever scare me like that again. I just got you in this life." Her voice cracks on the last words, and for the first time since I've known her, I hear Camilla cry.

Marcus steps forward, dramatically shaking his head. "Yeah, seriously. Between worrying about you and worrying about her worrying about you, I'm about to have a stress-induced cardiac arrest."

A small laugh escapes despite everything.

"For real though," he says, wrapping me in a careful hug. "We missed you."

"Stop hogging her, Marcus," Mia interrupts, stepping up for her turn. "I'm so happy you're home."

"Me too." I smile, but it feels like wearing someone else's clothes—not quite right, not quite mine.

The laughter fades quickly, and is replaced by that gnawing emptiness that follows me like a second shadow as I glance around at their relieved faces. But there's one face missing—the one that haunts my dreams and fills the spaces between my heartbeats. The one I need more than air.

"Where's Nick?" I ask, trying to mask the tremor in my voice.

Mom exchanges a quick look with Lydia that makes my stomach turn. "He had a family emergency to take care of."

"Oh. Is Alfie okay?" Dread curls through my veins like poison.

Mom's reply comes too quick, too rehearsed. "Alfie's fine, honey."

My heart pounds against my ribs as realization hits. Nick doesn't have any other family. There's only one person he'd drop everything for.

Nate.

The thought of his name alone makes my chest constrict until breathing becomes a conscious effort. I've tried calling him. Texting him. Begging the universe to make my phone light up with his name. Nothing but silence.

I force myself to stay calm, to keep my voice steady as I turn to Camilla. "Have you or Jay heard from Nate?"

She hesitates, choosing her words with surgical precision. "Jay mentioned he was going away for a while."

The words hit like shattered glass.

"He's going away?" My voice splinters. "What do you mean? Where's he going?"

Panic flashes across Camilla's face as she stumbles over her words. "I—I don't know. Jay's been really hush-hush about it. He just said Nate needed to get out of town for a while."

The ground shifts beneath me, my legs threatening to give out. The truth crashes over me like a wave of ice water. Nate is gone. He left without a word. Without answering my calls. Without giving me a reason why.

I feel their eyes on me—Jake, Camilla, Marcus, all of them—watching, waiting for me to say something, but I can't find words in the wreckage of my heart. My chest feels hollow, like someone has carved out everything inside me and left nothing but echoes.

He left. He leftme.

And somehow, that hurts worse than any of my injuries.

The dim light in my room does little to soften the storm of emotions swirling around me. I sit cross-legged on my bed, fingers absently stroking Bones' worn fur. Each breath feels like learning how to exist in a world that's shifted three degrees sideways. A soft knock breaks through my thoughts. Lydia appears in the doorway, her presence gentle but steady.

"Hey, sweetie," she says softly. "Are you doing okay?"

We both know I'm not, but I manage a small nod. She steps inside, holding a white envelope.

"This came for you last week. I was waiting for the right time."

Curiosity flickers through the fog in my mind. The bold, official-looking logo catches my eye as I take it from her. My heart stumbles over its own rhythm as I pull out the crisp letter.

The words blur as I read and re-read them.

Congratulations! You have been accepted.

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