The Cost of Silence

DARIO

For a long time, there was only silence between us. I could feel her watching me. I could feel her presence behind my back like a weight I couldn’t escape, but she didn’t move or speak. The quiet stretched, almost unbearable, until finally, she broke it.

Her voice was quiet, so quiet I could have almost missed it.

“You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to,” she said.

I dragged my han