VIOLET SWAN.

BOREGON.

꘎♡━━━━━━━♡꘎

“I still don’t understand anything, Violet. What’s going on?” Tara asks, braking as the traffic light turns red. I stare out the window. My reflection in the glass is distorted by raindrops. Outside, the world is a gray blur—perfectly matching the storm raging inside me.

“You were happy, Vi. Seriously. I can’t make sense of this…”

“There’s nothing to understand, Tara,” I say, fighting the knot in my throat that tightens with every word. All that matters now is that my dad and my brother are safe.

The memory of Cassandra—her icy voice, the veiled threat against Ezra and my father—is the fuel behind my desperation. It’s the only truth keeping me moving. The only justification for the betrayal I’m committing.

“Things just… didn’t work out,” I say clearly, trying to convince myself as much as her. The explanation is flat. Empty. But it’s the only one I can give my best friend.