Chapter 35
Abigail
+25 BONUS
The sharp trill of my phone startled me, pulling me out of my unhappy thoughts. For one irrational moment, I thought it might be Conrad, calling from the study even though we were in the same house.
But the name on the screen made my breath catch for an entirely different reason. Liam.
I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the green button. Liam, my baby brother, with his easy smile and constant chatter, always so full of life. He didn’t call often–our lives had taken us in such different directions–but when he did, it was never without good reason.
What reason could he have to call me now?
I shook off the thought, forcing myself to press the button. Liam,” I said, injecting a lightness into my tone that I didn’t feel. “Hey! It’s been a while.”
“Bee,” he said, and my chest tightened at the familiar nickname. He was the only one who still called me that. His voice was warm, but there was an undercurrent of something else there–something worried. “Are you okay?”
The question hit me like a bucket of ice water. “Of course I’m okay,” I replied quickly, too quickly. “Why wouldn’t I ben
There was a pause, and in that silence, I felt exposed. It was as if he could guess I was lying despite how cheery my voice sounded. “You haven’t called home in a while,” he said finally, his voice quieter now. “It’s not like you. I just … I wanted to check in. You know, make sure you’re alright.”
For a short moment, I considered telling him. The words hovered on the tip of my tongue: Liam, I’m not alright. I’m not even close to alright. Everything’s falling apart, and I don’t know who to trust anymore.
I wanted to tell him about the kidnapping, about Conrad’s suffocating presence, about the lies swirling around me like a storm I couldn’t escape. I wanted to tell him about the divorce I was too afraid to voice out yet and how desperately I wished I could just… leave.
But I didn’t.
Because I could already picture his reaction. The worry that would overtake across his boyish face, the way he’d pace the small kitchen at home as he tried to figure out how to fix things. And then, just like he always did when. he was too full of worry and fear, he would tell our mother.
And that was a burden I couldn’t place on his fragile shoulders.
So I swallowed the truth and forced a watery smile, even though he couldn’t see me. “I’m fine, Liam,” I said, hoping my voice didn’t betray me. “Really. You don’t need to worry about me.”
ד
“Bee…” His voice was full of doubt, but he didn’t press me. He never did. “If you’re sure…”
“I’m sure,” I said quickly. “But thank you for checking in. It means a lot.”
There was another pause, and I could feel him searching for the right words. “How’s Mom?” I asked, ste conversation away from myself before he could dig any deeper.
the
Liam sighed, and the sound was heavy, tired. “Some days are better than others,” he admitted. “She’s really weak, but she hasn’t had a crisis in a while. That’s something, I guess.”
It wasn’t much of a reassurance, but I clung to it anyway. I knew Liam would never want to tell me anything that would make me worry, he always tried so hard to make me believe the situation was under control. But I also knew our mother would never leave the hospital bed for the rest of her life.
Chapter 35
TH
+25 BONUS
“I’m glad,” I said softly. “You’re taking good care of her, Lim. I know she appreciates it, and I do too.” “Yeah, well,” he muttered, his tone laced with guilt. “I’m got doing as much as I should. Between work and preparing for school, it’s been… a lot.”
“You’re doing everything you can,” I said firmly. “And that’s more than enough.”
He didn’t respond immediately, and I could imagine him on the other end of the line, his head bowed as he fiddled with the hem of his shirt, just like he used to do when we were kids..
We spent the next few minutes talking about safer toples: his plans for university, the chaos of his part–time job, the nosy neighbors who kept dropping by unannounced. Lian went into detail about how he couldn’t stand their jokes that only ever made them laugh but he also couldn’t be rude to them when our mother’s eyes always lit up because they were the only visitors she could ever count on getting. I laughed at all the right moments, even as a hollow ache settled deep in my chest.
When was the last time I had seen my mother? When was the last time I had hugged her?
When we finally said our goodbyes and the line disconnected, I sat there for a long time, staring at the phone in my hand. The cheerful wallpaper–a photo of Liam and me from years ago, both of us grinning like fools mocked me with how simple life had been then.
I should have felt proud of myself for not burdening him with my problems. I hadn’t let him hear the cracks in my voice or feel that there was something wrong between me and Conrad.
But all I felt was a crushing weight in my chest, as if the very act of holding it all in had carved out something important inside me.
I set the phone down and stood, crossing the room to the window. The sun was higher in the sky but the bodyguards were still outside, roaming the grounds of the estate like robotic soldiers. My gaze drifted beyond them, to the tall iron gates at the edge of the property. Freedom was out there, somewhere. I just didn’t know how to reach it.
Turning away, I sank onto the bed, burying my face in my hands. Talking to Liam usually helped me feel like any other normal woman out there, but today, it had only made the distance between us, the distance between the life I had and the life I wanted, feel even greater.
For the first time in a long while, I let myself cry. Silent, bitter tears that soaked into my palms as I fought to keep sobs quiet. Because ever here, in the supposed privacy of my room, I couldn’t let myself be truly vulnerable.
my
I had always been the only one I could depend on to get myself out of trouble. This time wouldn’t be any different.
