Chapter 14: Behind the Composure
Back inside, the table felt colder without him.
The blonde woman sat still, her gaze fixed on the floral pillow as if it might somehow disappear if she stared long enough.
It didn’t.
“I didn’t want it to go this far,” she said quietly.
The woman in blue let out a tired breath.
“None of us do,” she replied.
There was no sharpness left in her voice now.
Only exhaustion.
“You pushed it,” the blonde woman said, not accusing—just stating.
The woman in blue nodded slowly.
“I thought I was helping you,” she admitted. “You were falling apart.”
“I was scared,” the blonde woman whispered.
“I know.”
Silence settled again, but this time it wasn’t tense.
It was honest.
The girl watched them both, her small face thoughtful.
“Why didn’t you just tell the truth?” she asked.
The question was simple.
But it stopped both women.
Because the answer wasn’t something they could explain in a way that made sense—
not even to themselves.
“Sometimes,” the woman in blue said slowly, “adults think the truth will break things.”
The girl frowned slightly.
“But lying already did,” she said.
May you like
No one argued.
Because she was right.
