Chapter 26 Hesitant

• Sophie and Victoria sat on the couch, the silence between them heavy with unspoken words. Sophie’s eyes remained fixed on Victoria, her gaze steady and probing, waiting for her to speak. Victoria’s fingers fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, her gaze deliberately avoiding Sophie’s as the weight of her thoughts pressed down on her chest. The words were there, tangled and knotted, refusing to come together in any coherent form.
• Finally, Sophie broke the silence, her voice gentle but firm. “You’re not okay, Vic. I know that. What’s going on? You can’t keep pretending everything’s fine.”
• Victoria swallowed hard, the familiar knot tightening in her stomach. For as long as she could remember, Sophie had been the one person she could share anything with, but this… this felt different. It was a truth so raw and bitter that even acknowledging it aloud felt like a betrayal.