Jake’s POV

The moment she says it, the fear she’s been carrying is right there, clear as day. The weight of it all. It’s in the way her shoulders drop, as if she’s been holding herself together for far too long. In the way her gaze doesn’t quite meet ours anymore, like saying it out loud has made it harder to pretend she’s still in control.

“I didn’t tell you because I was scared.”

A heavy silence settles over the room as everything starts to fall into place. My thoughts ...