Chapter LXVII

I didn’t hear from Nicolas in the days that followed. Not a call, not a text—just a deafening silence that consumed my thoughts and festered like an open wound.

I replayed that day in the car, over and over in my head, each moment, each touch, each whisper. For those fleeting minutes, it felt like we’d broken through the barriers between us, like the weight of all the complications and lies had finally been lifted.

But now? Now, it felt like it hadn’t happened at all.

I checked my phone constantly, staring at the empty screen as though willing his name to appear. I debated reaching out first—sending a message, maybe calling him. But something stopped me every time. Maybe it was pride. Or fear.

He’d made me feel wanted, cherished, even if just for a moment. But now, the doubt crept back ……