After I answered, I was told not to move.
I ended the call and remained beneath the oak trees with my phone in my hand.
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The parking area was quiet compared with the house. No children were running through the room. No relatives were laughing. No one was drinking from my mugs or moving my furniture.
For the first time since I had arrived, I had enough space to feel what had happened.
I had spent years protecting Jessica from consequences whenever I could.
I had sent money when she was struggling. I had made time for her children whenever my leave allowed it. I had never demanded that she explain my job to Ryan, and I had never used my rank to win a family argument.
I had allowed them to think of me as the quiet sister who traveled for government work because privacy was easier than correcting every assumption.
