Page 114 of Ink Me Three Times

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I don’t cry. Not yet. I don’t even know if I can.

I sit there, my body so still it’s as if I’m not even in it anymore. The world around me feels muffled. Every thought is scattered. But I can’t move.

I look at the tests again, the two pink lines burning into my brain.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Mitchell

The shop’s too quiet.

Post con crash always hits hard. Three days of noise, people, needles buzzing non stop, and now… silence. Just the hum of the fridge in the back and the faint smell of cedar and antiseptic clinging to the walls.

Should be calming.

It’s not.

I’m pacing, restless. Tried sketching earlier, but nothing stuck. Lines came out shaky. Off. My hands were still wired from the chaos and my brain hadn’t caught up.

Or maybe it’s her.

No. Not maybe.

Definitely.

Ivy’s been in my head since we got back home.

It’s messing with me.

So I’m just about to close early, go for a ride, try to shake it off, when the bell chimes.

And there she is. Almost as if I conjured her up just by thinking of her.

Ivy.

Looking ghostly. Pale, lips pressed into a thin line. Hoodie sleeves covering her hands, even though it’s ninety out. Her eyes find mine, then dart away.

Something’s wrong.

I step out from behind the counter. “You okay?”

She doesn’t answer. Just stands there, fidgeting, fighting the urge to bolt.

Then, quiet. Almost too quiet. “Will you walk with me?”

I nod before I even think. Grab my hoodie, even though I won’t need it. Doesn’t matter.

The sun’s too bright. Air feels heavy. We walk in silence, shoes scuffing against the pavement. She stays a step ahead, trying to outrun her own thoughts.

I match her pace. Don’t push.

Eventually, she speaks.

“Freddie’s a good dad, right?”

I glance at her. “Yeah. One of the best.”

She nods. Keeps walking.

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