Chapter 105

Anderson POV

Kate sat across from me in the living room, the space between us feeling miles wide, her arms folded tight against her chest, her expression completely unreadable, like she’d locked every thought and every feeling behind a wall I couldn’t see through.

It was a messed up week for me, the worst kind, one thing after another piling on. My Mom’s disappearance still hanging over me with no answers, Ava not talking to me, not a single word, the house was empty and echoing and too quiet, and Kate, I finally honored her invitation, finally came here because I didn’t know where else to go.

The weight of everything pressed down on my chest like a ton of bricks, heavy and suffocating, making it hard to breathe. I couldn’t stay silent anymore. I couldn’t hold it in.

"Did you ever love me, Kate?" I asked, my voice coming out rougher than I meant it to.

Her eyes flickered for just a second, a quick movement I almost missed, but she didn’