I woke up around noon. For a second, everything felt normal, then it all came rushing back.

It wasn't just a bad dream. Lucas really had betrayed me.

Tears started to well up again. I'd cried myself to sleep last night, hoping I'd wake up to find everything had changed. I'd prayed for a miracle, but here I was, stuck in this harsh reality.

Nothing had changed, and I had to face that.

I dragged myself out of bed. My whole body felt heavy, ...