Penelope's POV
I remained motionless on the sofa for what felt like an eternity, waiting for the sharp stabs of pain in my temples to dull into something more manageable. The apartment was eerily silent without Austin's presence, the only sounds being the occasional hum of the refrigerator and the distant honking of Chicago traffic twenty-three floors below. As the throbbing in my skull gradually subsided, a realization struck me with sudden clarity - in all the chaos of Mia's abrupt departure, I hadn't even gotten her contact information. No phone number. No email. Nothing.
