JJ had never known silence like this. It wasn’t the peaceful kind, the kind that came with lazy sunsets or quiet mornings by the water. It was the crushing kind, the kind that screamed at him with every unspoken word, every glance Y/N wouldn’t give him

They walked side by side through the empty streets, but they couldn’t have felt farther apart. JJ’s hands shook as he stuffed them into his pockets, his head hung low. He couldn’t even look at her, not after what had happened

Their daughter—his daughter—was gone

It was supposed to be a fun day, a simple adventure with the Pogues. That was JJ’s specialty, wasn’t it? A little reckless, a little wild, but always harmless in the end. Except this time, it wasn’t. He had let his guard down, underestimated the waves, the rocks, the unpredictability of the ocean. Their little girl had been there, laughing and chasing the others, her bright smile mirroring her mom’s

Then it all happened so fast. JJ had looked away for just a second. Just one second

Now, every step he took felt like a punishment. The memory of Y/N’s screams when they pulled her lifeless body from the water haunted him. The guilt was unbearable. It wrapped around his chest like a vice, and he knew he deserved every second of it

“I was supposed to protect her,” JJ finally said, his voice cracking. He hadn’t spoken in days, not since the funeral