Evie was perched on the couch in her apartment, wearing a hoodie and short tights, her hair pulled into a messy bun and her face bare. She half-heartedly glanced at the TV, which Ruby had switched on, insisting she should do something to pass the time.
The apartment was silent except for the rain tapping against the windows. The curtains were drawn, allowing only a muted light to filter through as the television droned on, but Evie was lost in her own thoughts.
It was mid-afternoon, and it felt like the day would slip away without any purpose.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed with a notification, and she tapped on it out of habit.
The earlier blankness in her expression shifted to narrowed eyes as she zeroed in on the headline that caught her attention.
**Breaking: Ezra Thorne confirmed as father to four-year-old Noah.**
Evie's heart stumbled as she read the headline again.
