Y/N learned young that love and fear could sound exactly alike through a bedroom wall. In Ellery Hollow, everyone notices something is wrong, but nobody notices enough. Her mother’s addiction turns the house into a cycle of slammed doors, apologies, silence, and mornings that pretend nothing happened. Y/N survives by staying quiet, staying useful, and never needing too much from anyone. Then there’s Eli Hart, emotionally distant, painfully observant, and somehow worse for her than being alone. He sees too much, disappears when things get heavy, and keeps coming back anyway. With friendships fraying, home becoming unbearable, and the line between comfort and damage blurring more every day, Y/N starts realizing survival is not the same thing as living. Some people drown loudly. Some do it so quietly nobody notices until it’s too late.