Chapter 10 - The New Dawn
A year to the day after I left, I sat on the balcony of my new townhouse.
The morning air was crisp, smelling of pine needles and fresh rain. Inside, I could hear Lily giggling at the television. My coffee was hot. My phone was quiet.
There were no eggshells to walk on here. No sudden shifts in mood to monitor. No apologies to script in my head just to keep the peace. There was only quiet, beautiful, ordinary life.
My phone vibrated on the patio table. It was a text from Claire.
Breakfast at the diner? I’m buying.
I picked up the phone and typed back: We'll be there in twenty.
I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, letting the morning sun warm my face. I thought about the woman who had laid in the dark, terrified of the silence, texting her sister in the middle of the night as a last resort. I wished I could reach back through time and hold her hand. I wished I could tell her what I knew now.
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You don't need a movie-moment to escape. You don't need to scream or break things.
Sometimes, the most powerful rebellion in the world is simply going quiet, walking away, and never, ever looking back.
