Chapter 3 - Refuge with Lena
Lena Brooks was waiting for her outside, and Nia sat silently in the passenger seat of Lena's SUV as the city lights passed by. She didn't cry yet; she simply held her hospital bracelet with one hand and stared into the darkness. When Lena asked if she wanted to go home, Nia shook her head, saying she wanted to go anywhere but there.
At Lena's apartment, her friend made tea, found a blanket, and let Nia sit quietly on the couch. That simple, uncalculated kindness nearly broke her defenses. Almost immediately, Caleb’s messages began flooding her phone: We need to talk. Then, Nia, please don't shut me out. Nia stared at the screen in disbelief. Shut him out? He had been the one shutting her out for weeks, lying during medical appointments, disappearing behind fake work meetings, and making her feel guilty for questioning him. Now that she had finally walked away, he wanted to talk. Lena sat beside her, asking gently if it was fixable. Nia looked down at the ring in her hand and shook her head. “No. I think I'm done pretending.”
