I’m feeling so utterly lost and disconnected. I just want to talk to my sister. No talk about Locke, I promise. I just need someone who understands what it feels like to be without a parent.
Please, can we have coffee? Just the two of us?
I stare at the text, my fingers tightening around the phone.
"What does she want?" Locke asks.
"She says she's lost," I say, turning the screen so he can read it. "She says wants to talk. She promised not to bring you up."
Locke doesn't even finish reading before he lets out a harsh, dismissive sound.
"She's lying, Zara. Or she's setting up another big dramatic freak-out scene. She tried to undermine our relationship while you were recovering from chemo. She doesn't get to text you playing the pathetic victim."
"I know," I say quietly, looking ba
