“If you’re reading this… I’m sorry. I lied to you about everything.”
“No,” I whispered. “That’s not her. That’s not how she talks.” I looked up at Mr. Chen. “This isn’t her handwriting.”
He tilted his head. “Grief can make things feel unfamiliar.”
“This isn’t grief. This is… wrong.”
“Are you sure you knew everything about her?”
The question hit harder than it should have.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Just a question.”
I grabbed the dress. “I need to go.”
Outside, I leaned against the wall, clutching the dress. “She wouldn’t lie to me.”
Through the window, I saw Mr. Chen watching me. Like he had been waiting for this moment.
I don’t remember how I got to Mrs. Kline’s house. One minute I was walking, the next I was on her couch, clutching the dress like it was the only thing keeping me together.
“She lied to me,” I said for the tenth time.
“Oh, honey…” Mrs. Kline wrapped an arm around me. The lilac scent was suffocating. “You’re in shock. Anyone would be.”
“It wasn’t just little things. It was… everything. My parents, our family—”
“Sometimes people think they’re protecting you,” she said softly. “But it doesn’t make it right.”
“I don’t even know who she was anymore.”
“If you want, you can stay here tonight,” Mrs. Kline offered, almost too quickly.
“Okay.”
“And about the house…” she added carefully. “If you really decide to sell, I could… try to buy it. I don’t have much, but I’d take care of it.”
I didn’t even think. “You can have it. I don’t care about the money. I just want to leave.”
Her lips curved slightly, but she turned away too quickly for me to read it.
“You can stay here tonight,” she repeated.
Later that night, I couldn’t sleep. I lay staring at the ceiling, replaying everything over and over.
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