Chapter 85: Answer Me

• She let the phone fall onto the soft, down duvet on the bed and closed her eyes. A wave of hopelessness washed over her, and she fought the urge to cry into the pillow. The world was such a miserable place. She'd hoped to try to fix some of the wrongs in her new life, but it was proving impossible.
• She thought about her dad, and the tears began to fall. They'd been such a happy family, but everything had fallen apart when he died. She knew she'd never been able to bring him back, but she'd wanted to build a new family with Maria and Samuel. But that was impossible. She had to live in Sean's home, dealing with his strange moods and sudden changes.
• She sighed. If she couldn't have a happy family, she'd hoped to help Sophia and Linda. But how could she help them if Linda refused to leave? She wiped the tears away and took a deep breath. Crying about it didn't help anything—she'd just have to find a new way to help Linda and Sophia. She reached for the nightstand and grabbed a fashion magazine, idly flipping through its glossy pages while she thought.