Chapter 5

His eyes flickered with irritation.

Before he could say anything, Lily cut in. “Chris, my parents and I had planned the trip in advance. We thought Emily could use some rest, so we left without her. She’s probably upset about that. Let me talk to her.”

Chris’s anger seemed to ease a bit at her gentle words, but he still scoffed, “She’s not worth your time.”

My fingers went numb.

I forced a smile. “You’re right. I’m not.

“I’ll stay out of your way. I’ll keep my distance from now on.”

Hearing that, Chris’s expression darkened even more.

He clenched his jaw and shouted, “Emily!”

But I turned and ran, not waiting to hear the rest.

All I could think about were those days in prison, pinned to the ground, swearing over and over again that I would never go near Chris again.

I had made that promise, begged for mercy, but no one cared.

My chest tightened as I gasped for air.

Slowly, I sank to my knees.

……

Lily showed up at the bakery again.

I tried to head to the kitchen, setting