YELENA

A whole week had passed.

Seven long days of knocking on doors that never opened, of questions that led nowhere, of hope rising and crashing in the same breath.

The police searched for Tyler everywhere they could think of. I followed them once, all the way to his house. I stood at the gate, my hands were shaking, my heart was beating so loud I thought everyone could hear it.

But he wasn’t there.

The house was empty and cold like he had never lived in it at all.

That was it. Just ...