I was breaking. Every emotion clashed at once—hurt, guilt, disbelief—until I couldn’t tell where one ended and another began. My eyes squeezed tighter. Tighter. Just when I feared my mind would burst, all of the pressure suddenly released. Something let go. Numbness rushed in like a merciful tide. It dulled everything—my thoughts, my memories, even the shape of Alana’s face in my mind.
