The nights are the worst.

When the city quiets and every sound is magnified, that’s when her absence crushes me most. The clock ticking on the wall sounds like a hammer to my skull. The whisper of wind sneaking through the cracked window feels like her ghost breathing against my ear. I can’t sleep. Not when I know she’s out there in the dark, held by hands that don’t deserve to touch her.

I don’t close my eyes anymore—because if I do, I see Matteo. I see his smug grin as he ...