Maria.
I remained in the room for a very long time afterward, sitting in silence as an uneasy restlessness settled deep within me.
The stillness should have been comforting, but instead it only made everything worse.
My thoughts refused to quiet down.
Noah kept coming back to my mind again and again.
I couldn't stop wondering if he was alright.
Was he safe?
Was he injured?
Or had something worse happened to him after everything we had seen?
I exhaled slowly, pressing a hand against my chest as though it could calm the tightness building there.
Eventually, I realized staying inside the room was doing nothing to help me.
So I made a decision.
I stood up.
Without fully thinking it through, I stepped out of the room and began walking.
