The phone rang just once before I answered.
I'd seen Edward's name flash across the screen, and my heart had already stuttered. I didn't let it ring again. Waiting felt too dangerous—like giving my thoughts space to hope, even when I swore I wouldn't.
"Hello?" My voice came out flat, too even.
There was a pause. Just long enough to make me think maybe he'd changed his mind and hung up.
Then—his voice. Tired. Low. Familiar.
"Abigail."
I closed my eyes for a second. The sound of my name from him did something strange to my chest. Like it had been months and not a few days since I heard it last. I sat up straighter on the couch, shifting the blanket off my lap.
"Hi, Edward."
"I hope it's okay that I called."
"Of course, it's okay."
Another pause. Then he exhaled, like he didn't quite know where to begin. "I told him," he said finally. "I told Mark everything."
My fingers curled around the phone a little tighter. "I see."
