"What if she doesn't really want to hurt you or us, but she just loves you that much so she’s doing this?" The weight of her words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken implications. It felt like an anchor in a stormy sea, grounding me but also weighing me down with doubt.
I turned my gaze toward the girl I had been confiding in, noting the almost picturesque innocence dancing in her expressive eyes. Despite the overwhelming evidence stacked against Angel, this girl—Rachel—maintained her unwavering belief in her goodness. I was perplexed; how could she hold tightly to such optimism when everything around us was unraveling? The world had become a chaotic mess, and yet here she was, standing with unwavering faith.
"You don’t have to defend her like that, you know," I said, making a concerte
