“Are you okay?” Mia murmurs, sitting beside me and putting one hand on my back.
I nod without opening my eyes again. “I think I just need to rest.”
I’m all alone here, trapped by myself inside the one place I never thought I’d have to be alone—my own family. I just need a second to breathe. Maybe, if she thinks she got to me, she’ll give me a little space.
“Of course,” she says, squeezing my shoulder. “You must be tired.”
I just nod again, meek with exhaustion both real and faked.
“Get some sleep. I’ll come check on you in a few hours.”
The moment she’s gone, I grab a pillow and hug it to my chest. I collapse onto the soft cushions of the sofa I’m sitting on and lie there in a fetal position until my heartbeat has slowed to a dull, aching throb.
The whole time, I think about that so
