Chapter 704

Layla's POV

And just like that, the dam broke. The tears came, hot and heavy, spilling down my cheeks as I sobbed into my hands, my body trembling as the pain poured out of me.

Maddie didn’t say anything. She just held me, her arms tight around me as she whispered soothing words, her fingers running through my hair as she rocked me back and forth.

I didn’t know how long we stayed like that, me crying, Maddie holding me, the sun rising higher outside the window. But I didn’t care. I just needed to let it all out. I just needed to feel something other than this aching emptiness.

And for the first time in a long time, I let myself break. I let myself feel. And Maddie was there, just like she always was, holding me together even as I fell apart.

Maddie held me close, her arms wrapped tightly around me as my sobs slowly died down. 

She rubbed my back in slow, soothing circles, whispering gentle words of comfort that, for once, I a