Chapter 27 The next morning, the campus looked grayer than usual, as if the sky had tuned itself to Madison’s mood. She walked slowly along the main path, shoulders slumped,…

Chapter 26 Sunday afternoon, the pale sun filtered through the bare branches of the campus trees, casting long, cold shadows across the gravel paths. Alan wandered aimlessly, hands buried deep…

Chapter 25 Madison stayed glued to the door, her back pressed flat against the cold wood like she could still back away and melt straight into the wall.  Her heart…

Chapter 24 A few hours later, Alan pulled the car up right at the foot of Madison’s building, the engine still humming low in the hush of the residential street.…

Chapter 23 Alan settled deeper into his worn-out couch, stretching his legs across the cluttered coffee table scattered with loose notes and a laptop humming softly. It was Saturday morning,…

Chapter 22 Madison hovered in that hazy limbo between wakefulness and sleep, her body twitching faintly, unwilling to commit to either side.  The morning light barely seeped into the room,…

Chapter 21 Five minutes had slipped by, maybe six, in a silence broken only by the distant tick of a cheap clock scraping at the edges. Madison sat at the…

Chapter 20 The next morning, Alan surfaced from a deep, restless sleep, his mind still clouded by the haze of a night cut far too short.  Sunlight seeped weakly through…

Chapter 19 Alan stepped out of Madison's place with a heaviness crushing his chest, his shoulders slumped like every stride dragged him down, replaying the words that had slammed between…

Chapter 18 Madison got home from class earlier than expected that afternoon, the drag of exhaustion settling over her like an unwelcome shadow, pulling at her every step.The apartment felt…