Broken. Shattered. Lost.
The past clings to me like a dark shadow, whispering reminders of everything I've lost, everything I've destroyed. The guilt is suffocating, a painful weight I can't escape. I carry it like a scar carved into my soul, and some days, I wonder if happiness was ever meant for me.
If I even deserve to want it.
I have pushed everyone away, including my best friend, Linc.
My anchor.

He refuses to let me drown in darkness. He makes me feel again. He gives me hope. And that scares me more than the pain ever did.
Because hope is dangerous.
Hope can break what little is left of me.
But maybe... just maybe... it can save me, too.