The room was quiet after Skylar finished speaking.
Not empty quiet.
Heavy quiet.
The kind that comes after truth is finally spoken out loud.
His chest still felt tight, but at least now… he wasn't carrying it.
Louis sighed deeply, shaking their head.
"That guy—John—was never good for you," they said firmly. "Four years and he still treated you like that? He's a scumbag, Skylar. A real jerk." Victor nodded quickly.
"You didn't lose anything worth keeping."
Skylar looked down at his hands.
It should have felt better hearing that.
And part of him did feel it.
But another part still ached.
Because love doesn't leave quietly—even when it turns into something painful.
"I just feel stupid," Skylar whispered.
"You're not stupid," his friend said immediately. "You're hurt. There's a difference."
Silence followed that.
A softer one this time.
Slowly, Skylar leaned back into the chair.
His breathing started to steady.
For the first time since waking up in that strange room…
He felt something close to safety.
Not happiness.
Not peace.
Just… safety.
"I need to clean up," he said quietly after a while.
His friends nodded instantly.
"Go," one of them said gently. "Take your time."
Skylar stood up slowly and walked to the bathroom.
The moment he closed the door behind him, everything outside faded away.
Steam filled the room as he turned on the shower.
Warm water hit his skin, and for the first time that day, his body finally started to relax.
But his mind didn't.
Images kept slipping through.
Fragments.
A bar.
A voice.
A presence that didn't feel random anymore.
Skylar closed his eyes tightly.
"Stop…" he whispered to himself. "Just stop thinking."
But thoughts don't listen when they're broken.
He stayed under the water longer than he needed to.
Until the shaking slowed.
Until his breathing evened out.
Until the world outside felt far enough away again.
When he finally stepped out, he wrapped a towel around himself and stared at his reflection in the mirror.
Different.
Still the same face.
But something inside him had shifted.
He looked… tired in a deeper way now.
Not just heartbreak.
Confusion.
Missing time.
Questions he didn't want to answer yet.
"I need my space," he muttered to himself.
And that was when he made his decision.
Skylar got dressed quietly, left the bathroom, and returned to his friends.
"I'm going home," he said.
Both of them looked at him immediately.
"You sure?" one asked.
Skylar nodded slowly.
"I just… need to be alone for a bit."
They didn't argue.
They just nodded with understanding.
But before he left, Louis grabbed his arm gently.
"Skylar… call us if anything feels off, okay?"
Skylar gave a small, tired nod.
"I will."
He stepped out of the house into the outside world again.
The air felt different now.
Not lighter.
But clearer.
As he walked away, one thought stayed in his mind:
He didn't have answers yet…
But he was starting to understand one thing clearly.
His life wasn't just broken.
Something in it had changed shape completely.
And he still didn't know what part Alexander Smith played in that change.