Alicia’s POV

I didn’t remember grabbing the car keys, or even opening the door to the garage. It all felt like my body moved before I gave it permission—maybe a leftover habit from being controlled.

But I was driving now. On my own. Windows down, wind catching strands of my hair, and nothing ahead of me but an empty road and the chance to breathe.

Not run. Just breathe.

The silence inside the car was louder than the chaos I’d just left behind. I didn’t ...