She tilted her head, wary now.“What do you mean?”
“I mean...”I hesitated, my heart thudding faster.“You’re going to need a plan.A place to stay.Something to do.There is no home for you to come back to anymore.”
Her brows pulled together, faint confusion flickering in her expression.“What?”
“The house is gone,” I said quietly.“It was sold after...after everything happened.”
For a heartbeat, she just stared at me.Then her voice sharpened.Not angry, but clipped.“Sold?What do you mean sold?That was my house.”
“It was ours,” I corrected softly.“But after everything that happened, that wasn’t a home anymore.I couldn’t stay there.So I sold it.”
“You sold my—” She stopped herself mid-sentence, pressing her lips together.I could see the realization dawning, the understanding that legally, I could do exactly that.
“I didn’t take anything from you,” I continued carefully.“Your things are still in storage.I’ve been keeping them safe.When you find a place, you can have them.”
Lindie’s eyes narrowed.“So where have you been living?With him?Your father?”
“No,” I said, feeling steady now.“With me.In my own house.”
That made her blink.“Your...what?”
“I’m emancipated,” I said, the words coming out stronger than I expected.“I have my own place.My own bills.My own life.It all belongs to me now.”
The silence that followed was sharp, nearly suffocating.
She looked at me like she was trying to reconcile the version of me in her memory with the one sitting in front of her now.I was no longer that girl she could manipulate.
Finally, she exhaled.“You really think you can handle that?Living alone?Taking care of yourself?”
“I already am,” I said quietly.“I’ve been doing it for a while now.I have help when I need it.I’m okay.”
Lindie’s tone stayed cool, but there was something behind it that wasn’t cruelty.Just shock.“You went and made yourself an adult without me.”
“I had to,” I said, the tremor in my voice betraying how hard this was.
Her gaze drifted toward the window, the faint reflection of her face caught in the glass.“So that’s it?I get out and what?You just hand me a box of my things and wish me luck?”
“No,” I said, leaning forward slightly.“I’ll help you find a place to live.And I saved a chunk of the profits from selling the house.I got a smaller one, so I was able to put money aside for you.It’ll be enough to be a downpayment for yours, as long as you buy within your means.”
She snorted.“Buy within my means, huh.”
I chose to ignore her and continued.“I never planned to leave you out in the cold.It’s just that I can’t let you live with me.That’s the line I draw.I hired a lawyer for you, he’s been keeping an eye on all your assets.I told him I wanted nothing to do with it, and it’s all set up for you to take full ownership once you’re released and it’s decided I no longer need to act as your guardian.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line.“You don’t want anything to do with me.”
“It’s not about wanting,” I said.“It’s about what’s right.After everything that happened, we both deserve a fresh start.Away from each other.”
Lindie stared at me for a long time.I forced myself to hold her gaze even though my palms were slick against my knees.
“You’ve changed,” she said finally.
“Yeah,” I whispered, not sure what else to say about that.
She tilted her head, studying me in a way that made me feel twelve again.But this time, I didn’t shrink under it.“And what happens if I fail?”
“Then you try again,” I said.“You’ve done worse and survived it.You can do this too.”
Her jaw worked, then loosened.“You really are your father’s daughter,” she said quietly.“Stubborn as hell.”
