Chapter Eleven - Hannah
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Hannah
HANNAH DIDN’T REMEMBER getting on the freeway, didn’t remember the turns she took, didn’t remember how she ended up parked in front of Mia and James’ house, her knuckles white against the steering wheel.
Her vision blurred as she stared at the house, warm light glowing through the front windows. A home. A place that still felt safe.
Her entire body was shaking, her pulse hammering so hard she felt it in her throat. She could still hear it— Daniel’s voice, Sienna’s moans, the wet slap of their bodies colliding —it was inside of her, crawling under her skin, choking her.
She stumbled up the walkway, her bag slipping off her shoulder, her chest tightening with every step.
The porch light flickered on as she rang the doorbell, and the moment the door cracked open—
She broke.
Mia’s face barely had time to shift to concern before Hannah let out a choked, gasping sob.
“Han—?”
Another sob tore out of her before she could stop it.
And then Mia was there.
Arms wrapping around her, holding her up, pulling her inside as Hannah’s body folded in on itself.
The weight of everything—of what she saw, what she lost, what she could never get back —came crashing down all at once.
She couldn’t breathe.
She couldn’t stop.
Her sobs were violent, heaving, a raw and ugly sound she didn’t recognize as her own.
Mia’s hand smoothed over her back, her voice soft but urgent. “You’re okay, you’re okay, I’ve got you.”
Hannah shook her head against Mia’s shoulder, gripping onto her like she was the only thing keeping her upright.
I’m not okay.
“Come inside,” Mia murmured, guiding her further into the house. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out, okay?”
But Hannah already knew.
She would never be okay again.