OLIVIA
I pressed the phone to my ear, blinking fast to hold back the tears. I didn’t want to cry, not in front of my sister, and definitely not over the phone.
But the moment I heard Dante’s voice, everything I’d been holding in came crashing down.
“Where are you, Olivia?” he asked.
My throat tightened, and the tears spilled harder, sliding down my cheeks.
“I’m with my sister,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Lilian.”
There was a pause.
“Are you crying?” He asked, his voice laced with worry. “What happened? Are you hurt? Sick? Tell me.”
I shook my head, wiping my face with the back of my hand like it would erase the shame.
“No. I… I got evicted.” The words choked out of me. “I have nowhere to go. Lilian’s landlord won’t even let me stay the night.”
Silence filled the line again,
