Stella's POV

It had been a little over eight months since I left New York.

Time in Wethersfield seemed to move to a different rhythm. It wasn't just the small-town feel, the houses with white fences, the cafés that closed at six in the evening, or the fact that everyone knew everyone else's name. It was the silence. The absence of honking horns, judgmental looks, and the constant pressure on me and my choices.

The town smelled like damp earth and freshly baked bread, strong coffee and hydr