8
Grace.
The letter wasn’t long.
I sat at the desk in my room for what felt like hours, fingers hovering above the page, pen tip stained with hesitation. I’d started and stopped ten times. Ripped up the first draft. Folded the second into quarters and tucked it under his mug in the cabinet. He wouldn’t see it until morning. When I’d be gone.
I packed quietly. I didn’t take any suitcases. Just a few boxes containing neat stacks of folded clothes, a few books and some toiletries. I left most things. The little knickknacks Sophie made me out of popsicle sticks and glitter glue, I wrapped those in tissue paper and kissed each one before placing them gently in a small box labeled FRAGILE.
The hallway outside my room was quiet. Sophie had fallen asleep hours ago, curled into a tight ball w
