POV: Milo
6:20 AM — He’s Gone
The house was quieter than usual.
Not the normal quiet — not the sleepy, early morning kind. This was different. Heavier.
Mom was already in the kitchen, but she wasn’t making breakfast. She was just... standing there. Staring at the counter. Her coffee sat untouched.
My dad hadn’t co downstairs yet.
I opened the fridge. Grabbed juice. Closed it.
Still no one said a word.
Then she finally spoke.
"He’s not here."
I turned. "Aaron?"
She nodded. But she didn’t look at . "He left last night."
6:23 AM — The Letter
She handed it to .
A folded piece of notebook paper, already creased at the edges. I didn’t want to read it, but I also had to.
I’m going away for a bit.
Please don’t try to find .
This isn’t your fault.
It’s mine.
I lowered the letter. My jaw tightened.
"I didn’t think he’d actually do it," I muttered.
"Do what?" she asked.
"Disappear."
6:35 AM — What I Really Wanted to Say
What I wanted to scream:
"What did you expect? After everything you two did?"
What I actually said:
"Maybe it’s for the best."
She looked like she’d been slapped. Her lips parted, but no words ca out.
And even though I knew it was cruel, I didn’t take it back.
Because soone in this house needed to stop pretending we weren’t all drowning.
8:00 AM — Flashback: Aaron and , Before
A few months ago, Aaron and I stayed up late bingeing horror movies.
He told about a girl he liked. I assud she was from school. Soone he t at work, maybe.
He said she was older. "Mature," he called her. "Smart. The kind of person who sees straight through you."
I laughed and said, "Damn, sounds like you’re already in too deep."
He didn’t laugh.
Now I realize: he was.
Just not with so mystery woman.
With her.
9:15 AM — Confrontation (Kind Of)
I cornered her in the laundry room.
She jumped when I closed the door.
"Did you think this wouldn’t end like this?" I asked quietly.
She didn’t answer.
"You said it was a mistake," I went on. "You said you ended it. But that wasn’t true, was it?"
Her eyes filled with tears. "It was never supposed to happen—"
"Stop saying that," I snapped. "You don’t get to use that line anymore. You don’t get to pretend you were just caught in sothing."
"I love him," she said suddenly.
It hit like a punch to the chest.
"You what?"
Her voice broke. "I know it’s wrong. But it’s not fake. I didn’t just use him."
I stared at her for a long mont. Then I shook my head.
"Love isn’t supposed to wreck every single person around you."
10:10 AM — Dad’s Suspicions
I found Dad outside, trimming the hedges. He looked up as I walked over, squinting against the morning sun.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
No. Everything’s on fire and none of us know how to say it out loud.
"Just worried about Aaron," I said. "He left a letter."
Dad sighed. "I saw it. He didn’t say much."
He stared into the distance for a mont. Then added, "You think he’s okay?"
I hesitated. "Physically? Yeah. Emotionally? Probably not."
He nodded slowly. "There’s been sothing off with him lately. With Elena too."
He said her na carefully. Like it might explode.
I didn’t respond.
"Do you know sothing?" he asked.
I looked him in the eye.
And lied.
"No."
1:00 PM — Searching Without Searching
I spent the next few hours checking his usual spots.
The park near our old school
The rooftop of the mall parking garage
The lake trail where he used to walk when he was pissed
Nothing.
No texts. No signal. No posts.
I didn’t know if I wanted to find him.
Or if I wanted him to stay gone until the whole damn house ca down and everyone had to face the truth.
4:30 PM — When I Started to Miss Him
Around midafternoon, I sat on a bench outside the gas station where we used to bike to as kids.
I rembered how he used to buy those disgusting sour gummies. How he always had to be the loudest one on the ride back. How he looked out for when I got jumped freshman year.
And now?
Now he was a ghost.
And even after everything — the betrayal, the lies — I still missed him.
Because before all of this, he wasn’t just my brother.
He was my best friend.
6:55 PM — The Mont I Realized He’s Not Coming Back
I went ho.
I walked in. Saw Mom at the kitchen table, still staring at that damn letter like it might suddenly explain everything.
Dad was upstairs, door closed.
The house didn’t just feel quiet.
It felt empty.
Like a void was forming where Aaron used to be.
And for the first ti since he left...
I believed him.
He wasn’t coming back.
📘 End of Chapter 25
💬 YOUR TURN!
Milo’s torn between anger and grief.
Elena admits she loves Aaron.
Aaron is gone. But for how long?
👇 Tell in the comnts — is Milo justified in staying silent, or should he tell his dad?
❤️ Tap the heart if that confrontation in the laundry room hit hard.
🔔 Follow to get Chapter 26 — where soone unexpected finally says the words everyone’s been avoiding.
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