Unbearable Absence

Lyra lifted her gaze, uncertain.

“That’s simply how you cope,” Bianca continued gently. “How you protect yourself. Silence is where you sort your thoughts, where you regain your footing. There is nothing wrong with that.” A pause. “It becomes dangerous only when the other person doesn’t know why the silence exists.”

She reached out, briefly squeezing Lyra’s hand.

“And that,” she said quietly, “