Chapter 36

Jake’s POV

Noah was asleep in his room, and Kristen had left a few minutes ago. Usually, she spent the night and left the early morning before Noah woke, but she claimed she had been neglecting her apartment and her friend Melody, and she needed to make amends where both were concerned.

It was surprising and even a little annoying how dependent I had become on Kristen. The moment she had left, I had felt a little pang of loneliness, and now I was sitting on my couch in the living room feeling dejected and slightly sorry for myself. I looked towards the picture of Daphne and smiled at her for what felt like the first time in years.

“Hi, hon,” I said softly. “It’s been a while since we spoke, huh?”

I hadn’t been able to think of her in a long time, and now that my heart had healed slightly, I realized that my memories of Daphne had changed. At least the lens through which I viewed those memories had changed. They were no longer pierced with pain and sadness. No