Chapter 71

• “Cole, look at me.”
• I didn’t respond. My eyes were fixed on the ground, my hands trembling slightly. The weight of everything felt heavier now, more suffocating than it ever had before. The lies, the secrets, the pain—they were all a blur, but one thing was clear: I was losing control.
• “Please, Cole,” Funmi’s voice cracked, but there was something in it—something steady, something that begged me to hold on. Her hand landed gently on my shoulder, a lifeline in the storm I felt myself sinking into.