Sloane's POV
An hour later, I’m still crying. Zia stays close, holding me together when I feel as though I might fall apart completely. She lets me grieve what she believes is my goodbye to Candace, my little sister. And she’s right. I’ll survive this, too, just as I’ve survived everything else.
But surviving doesn’t mean I’m not exhausted.
A survivor can still cry when nobody is watching. A survivor can still break beneath the weight of everything she’s been forced to carry. A survivor can be so tired of being strong that even answering one more concerning phone call feels like a punishment.
And right now, I don’t have the strength to pretend I’m okay.
In my hand, my phone rings and Lisa’s name appears on the screen, causing another surge of tears and an ache in my heart.
I watch it
