Kapitel 279: Note

The apartment felt colder than usual. Empty. As if the walls themselves had absorbed the tension from the last few days. I sat on the couch, staring at the door, waiting. Waiting for something.

For Carmen to walk back in, for the uneasy feeling gnawing at my insides to subside. But the minutes stretched into hours, and with each tick of the clock, the knot in my stomach tightened.

Isabel had tried to distract me, offering tea, asking about my modeling classes, but I couldn't focus. My thoughts kept drifting back to Carmen. She had left earlier, her face serious and set with determination.

I knew she had to go, but I hated it. Hated the waiting. Hated the silence. Hated feeling helpless.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips. I got up, pacing back and forth across the living room, the soft padding of my feet the only sound in the space.