I quickly ended the call, cutting off her furious yelling.
For so many years, I had been obedient—to Sebastian, to Eleanor. But now, I could finally be myself.
Ignoring the calls that kept coming in, I shut off my phone, held Lillian in my arms, and sat on the couch for a long time. At some point, I dozed off. By the time I opened my eyes again, daylight had already filled the room.
It had been a long time since I had slept so soundly.
Turning my phone back on, I saw a string of missed calls. Before I could even check them, another call came through. Out of habit, I answered.
A familiar voice spoke on the other end—it was my older brother, Nathan Everett.
"Juliana, why was your phone off all night? Do you know how worried Mom and I were?"
Worried? I let out a bitter laugh in my hear
