Someone Older

chapter 17

Raven p.o v

By the time I got home, the sun was dipping low in the sky, casting long shadows across the driveway. The warmth from Maverick's touch still clung to me, lingering like a secret I wasn't ready to let go of. But as I walked through the front door, something felt off. The air inside was heavy, too quiet, as if the house was holding its breath.

I stopped in the hallway, glancing toward the living room where my parents were sitting on the couch, side by side but worlds apart. Their faces were tense, neither of them looking at the other. My mom's hands were clasped tightly in her lap, and my dad was staring at the floor, his jaw clenched.

Something cold and unfamiliar settled in my stomach.

"Raven," my mom said, her voice brittle as she looked up at me. There was a tightness around her eyes that I hadn't noticed before, a strain in her usually calm expression.

"Hey..." I replied, cautiously stepping closer. "What's going on?"

My dad finally looked up, but his face was a mask of exhaustion. He rubbed a hand over his face before speaking, his voice low and rough. "We need to talk."

I froze, my heart suddenly racing, a sense of dread creeping up my spine. The words hung in the air, thick and heavy, and I knew whatever they were about to say was something I wasn't ready for.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice small. I hated how vulnerable it sounded, like I was already bracing for the blow.

My mom shifted uncomfortably, glancing at my dad before turning back to me. "Raven, this isn't easy for either of us," she began, her voice cracking slightly. "But... your father and I, we've decided... we're getting divorced."

It felt like the floor dropped out from under me. I stood there, frozen, the word *divorce* echoing in my head like a distant, hollow sound. Divorce. It wasn't real. It couldn't be.

"What?" I whispered, my chest tightening. "No... no, you're not serious."

My dad sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair, and when he spoke, his voice was softer but still edged with finality. "We've been trying to make it work for a long time, Raven. But... it's just not enough anymore."

I stared at him, my mind struggling to process the words. They couldn't be serious. This couldn't be happening. My parents-my parents-weren't the kind of people who got divorced. They were supposed to be the stable ones, the ones who always figured things out.

"But... why?" I asked, my voice shaky as I turned to my mom, searching her face for some kind of explanation that made sense. "Why now?"

She looked down at her hands, her shoulders slumping as if the weight of it all was finally too much to bear. "It's been happening for a while, sweetie. We just didn't want to... put it on you. But we can't keep pretending everything's okay."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I felt like I couldn't breathe, the walls of the living room closing in around me. This was supposed to be my safe space. Our home. And now, it felt like it was falling apart right in front of me.

"So that's it?" I asked, my voice rising, more out of desperation than anger. "You're just... done? After everything?"

My dad's expression softened, but it didn't ease the ache in my chest. "We're not giving up on you, Raven," he said quietly. "We'll both still be here for you. But... we're not the same anymore."

I shook my head, trying to make sense of it, but nothing fit. Everything felt wrong.

"Love isn't always enough," my mom interrupted gently, her voice thick with unshed tears. "Sometimes... people change. And sometimes it's better to let go."

I stared at them, my throat tightening, tears stinging the back of my eyes. I wanted to scream at them, to make them understand how wrong this felt, how it didn't make sense. But all I could do was stand there, helpless, as the reality of it crashed down on me.

"Raven," my dad said softly, standing up from the couch and stepping toward me. He reached out, but I instinctively stepped back, not ready to let him close. Not yet.

"I can't... I can't do this right now," I muttered, the tears blurring my vision. I turned quickly, heading up the stairs, their voices fading behind me.

I barely made it to my room before the tears spilled over, hot and fast. I closed the door behind me, leaning against it as sobs shook my chest. My heart felt like it was being torn in two, the weight of their words pressing down on me until I couldn't breathe.

The word divorce echoed in my mind again, and I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing I could block it all out. But no matter how hard I tried, the reality wouldn't go away.

Everything was changing. Everything I thought I could rely on, the stability I had always taken for granted, was slipping through my fingers. And there was nothing I could do to stop it.

This was a bit off just a little chapter added for content.