The friend. You've never in your life spent a night away from home. Suddenly, you're staying with a friend and you found the spine to leave me. Somebody's talking to you. Who is it?
Because whoever he is, he doesn't know you. Like, I know you. And when he finds out what you're really like, he'll leave, too. And then it'll be just you in that empty apartment, and you'll wish. Victoria hung up.
She stood there with the phone in her hand, breathing hard, her heart slamming against her ribs like she'd run a mile. Then it started buzzing again immediately in her palm. Adrien lighting up the screen and she watched it ring and she didn't answer and it went to voicemail and it started ringing again. She turned it off all the way off. Held the button until the screen went black.
And then Victoria Harrington, who had not cried in front of another living soul in years until last night, sat down on the edge of the bathtub in a stranger's home and put her face in her hands and shook. Not from sadness, from something closer to terror. And underneath the terror so unfamiliar she almost didn't know its name, something that felt like freedom. When she came out some minutes later, her eyes were red, but her face was composed. Nathan looked up from the table where he was eating eggs with Lily, and he didn't ask.
He just nudged the chair out with his foot. Eggs are still warm, he said. Barely. Lily insisted we not wait for you. But she's a soft touch.
She saved you the good piece of toast. I did, Lily confirmed. It's the corner one. The corner one is the best because it has the most edges. Victoria sat down.
She looked at the plate. She looked at the corner piece of toast a seven-year-old had saved for her and her chin trembled just once before she got it under control. "Thank you, Lily," she said. "That's very generous. " "You're welcome. Did you finish being sad on the phone, Lily? " Nathan warned.
"It's all right," Victoria said. She looked at the little girl. Yes, I think I did. I think I finished being sad on the phone. I did something a little scary, but I think it was the right thing.
Scary like a spider or scary like the dark. Victoria considered this seriously. Scary like jumping off the high diving board, she said. When you know the water's fine, but it's a long way down and your body doesn't want to. Lily nodded deeply satisfied with this answer.