Chapter 7

Yvette was wheeled out of the hospital room, her arm in a cast, her face pale.

When she saw me, her eyes turned red and tears slid down her cheeks without a sound. "Willow... I know you don't like me, but how could you do this to me..."

Her acting was good.

Good enough to make Dad's eyes well up on the spot, good enough to send Mom rushing in to hold her, good enough that Caleb and Carter looked at me like I was trash.

"Get out."It was the first time Carter ever spoke directly to me.

Two words.

"Starting today, you're out of the Lawson house."It was the second time Caleb ever spoke to me.

Nine words.

Yvette nestled into Mom's arms and shot me a smile so faint that no one else would have caught it.

And in that moment, the hurt stopped.

I thought the whole thing was ridiculous.

I didn't argue. I packed up my things and left without a sound.

Because I was tired.

Walking out of the Lawson house suddenly felt like a relief I hadn't known in ages.

Maybe leaving was the best thing for all of us.

I'd fallen badly behind in my classes after months of looking after Yvette.

So I camped out in the library every day.

The grind of the workload almost made me forget the mess the Lawsons had put me through.

My grades were strong enough to land me a spot in the exchange program. I watched the other students who'd made the cut calling home to share the news with their families.

I looked at my chat with Mom on my phone. The last message was from a month ago.

Over these past six months, if not for Mom checking in on me every now and then, enough to remind me I had family, I honestly would have felt like an orphan most days.

I stared at the call log for a long time, then made up my mind and dialed her number.

But the person who picked up was Caleb."What is it?"

I paused for a beat, then spoke flatly. "I'm going abroad to study for two years."

There were a few seconds of silence on the other end.

I could hear Mom and Yvette laughing in the background, with Carter's playful voice mixed in. "Caleb, who is it?"

Right after that, Yvette's voice came through clearly.

I hung up immediately.

thinking about Yvette made me physically sick.

Maybe she and I were born to clash.

It didn't take long.

Mom called me back. "Willow, sweetie, Caleb said you're going abroad?"

Hearing Mom's voice, I missed her in a way I hadn't in a long time.

Right then she sounded like she had when we'd first met. Gentle, with a touch of tenderness in her voice.

"Want me to come see you off at the airport?" Mom asked.

"Don't worry about it..." I started.

We spoke at the same time.

But I lost the will to finish what I was saying.

I'd thought she'd be sad to see me go, that I should say something to comfort her.

Turned out I'd been reading too much into it. "That's okay."

After I said it, the line stayed quiet for a long time.

Until Yvette started shouting on the other end. "Mommy, the meat's done. Get off the phone already."

"Uh... Willow, sweetie, Mom's out camping with your sister. If there's nothing else, I'll let you go, okay?"I caught the awkwardness in her voice.

Before I could even get out an "okay," the line had already gone to a busy tone.

I stared at the road ahead and somehow couldn't see it clearly.

Turned out tears were sliding down my face on their own.

Right then, I couldn't even explain why the thing I'd once prayed for now brought me sadness, heartache, and something close to resentment, now that I finally had it.