her sister's apartme

g only when exhaustion finally caught up with her. She parked near a small ov

replayed i

but the look o

tried to f

t made p

mply stay

her more than a

ead against the whee

she had loved more, given more, endured more. That she had been a

that wa

as learning, was

hone

om an unfami

ara. Etha

mach ti

something in her-curiosity, perhaps, or the lingering o

t the hospital las

the screen, th

hope he's d

ly came

t actually why I

ngers

xt message read. And maybe it's not my place. But after

ad settled

at? she

as a lo

h

rted drifting apart... it wa

eath c

why w

her

r thi

ought he was

fusion flickerin

ng me fr

nts, as if Mara herself w

bility. From repeatin

ightened o

t unde

message w

k on extra work, extra responsibility, pressure he never shared. He convinced himself tha

st felt

n't he

ly came

if you worried, you'd suffer. He believed love

n her seat, stari

played themselves

ong h

istra

ll she had taken

g didn't era

complic

ded. I just didn't want you to carry the belief tha

urred he

believing she

she had been un

n changed somet

to undo h

ten the sharpest

his apartment, unaware that the past

destroy everything... might be the thi

e phone do

et car, "Why didn't you

n lingered-

, she knew she was rea

lan to see h

a way of dem

in and again, she turned the key in the ignition and drove - not toward

e looked

ost hurt

front door. Her heart beat steadily, not wi

ed, she expect

oor opened alm

hing across his face - then some

okay?"

once. "Ca

aside witho

reathe. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, illuminating dust motes in

poke

ster mes

stiffened sl

es

n't in

father. About the debt.

eyes briefly, as

to find out like tha

u tell me at a

tion was

what unse

ted. "I thought if I handled everything al

dded s

hat work?"

haled

tly. "You didn't protect

led between th

if it was messy. Even if it scared me.

ugh. "I never st

love that hides doesn't feel like

llowed

aid that if you saw how overwhelm

him for a

tly, "that if I kept asking to b

owed - heavy

ving," she said at

d. "I un

hat we never learned how to b

as the

negl

dist

ed ope

don't expect forgiveness. I just... want to do t

tood

t," she said. "But if it exists, it will be

at," he said

et hi

cy," she r

ed. "Ev

o the door,

thing,"

es

she said quietly, "don't protec

e broke.

ithout loo

didn't feel like sh

had finally been