Chapter 36 : When It All Goes Up in Flames

*Lily*

I slept late and awoke to kisses from George, Adam and Patrick’s sheepdog mutt. They asked me to walk him if I could, so I slipped on my tennis shoes. When I got his leash, he wagged his tail like windshield wipers in full force.

Somehow I felt safe in the small Brooklyn enclave. I passed the small neighborhood grocery onto the park where I had painted the carousel just a few days earlier. Oh, how my life had changed since that day. I avoided William’s calls and his texts asking me to please call him. I just wasn’t ready to reopen the wound.

The boys understood. After I’d told them that I wasn’t sure I’d be staying with William, they urged me to take some time to think about it before doing anything rash.