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Get it together.
* * *
Come Monday,Mindy doesn’t want to leave.
“You shouldn’t stay here alone. At least come back with me,” her sister insists.
Audrey fights the urge to roll her eyes. “I’m perfectly fine by myself,” she states, careful to keep any venom out of her voice.
This is not the time to fight with her sister.
It’s not like she hasn’t felt alone since childhood, when Mindy always demanded her parents’ attention, and the quiet, smart younger child stayed in the background.
Audrey didn’t cause trouble. She was always good, and therefore, always alone.
Shove it into a box of emotions to never acknowledge. Don’t think about it now.
The television blares on in the background, the news anchors doing nothing but escalating situations and throwing out theories that they know nothing about. She wants to curse at the television, and she most likely will when her older sister finally leaves her alone.
“Then I’m staying,” Mindy declares, her eyes wide and concerned. “I won’t leave you alone, Audrey. Not when all this is happening. I know you feel guilty—”
“Stop.” Audrey interrupts Mindy before she can continue, and her sister looks pained.
“No, I just mean that—”
“You don’t know how I feel, Mindy,” Audrey says gently, observing her sister’s expression from the couch. “But right now, I’d like to be alone.”
She thinks the argument is done, that finallyMindy will leave so that she can panic in peace, but then—
“It’s my house too, Audrey.”
She’sneverpulled that card before, and Audrey can’t believe her sister has the audacity to do itnow.
Yes, technically their mother’s house belongs to both of them, but there’s the unspoken agreement that Audrey stays here, while Mindy lives in another house she purchased with her inheritance.
Audrey’s living here because of Mindy’scharity.Her sister could easily sell it and buy out Audrey’s portion, but instead, she graciously allows Audrey to stay instead of making a decent amount of profit from the sale.
Audrey swallows down the emotions that swirl through her—shecan’tdo this right now, not when her world is turning to shit and she’s watching inreal timeon television how the work she made her identity for years is part of something heinous.
“Mindy. I’d like to be alone,” she murmurs, barely above a whisper. “Please. I need time for myself.”
Mindy meets her gaze for a few seconds, searching for something in Audrey’s eyes. Then she nods. “Alright. Just give me a bit to pack up,” she sighs, “and I’ll get out of your hair.”
Audrey fights down the guilt that squeezes at her chest. She watches from her place on the couch as Mindy gathers her things, then stops to rub Pearl under her chin. “I guess you won’t really be alone, will you,” she says gently as she pets the feline that’s perched on the coffee table. “But call me if you need anything. Iwillcheck on you in a week and maybe bring you a little charcuterie board.”
Audrey snorts and the corner of her lip curls up. She can never stay annoyed at Mindy for long, especially when wine and cheese are involved.
With one last hug and kiss on the cheek from her sister, Mindy leaves Audrey alone with Pearl.
CHAPTER 2
AUDREY
She hates to admit it,but Mindy was right.
Her sister shouldn’t have left Audrey alone.
The television stays on, and she’s glued to her phone and laptop, overwhelming herself with information on the Alpha/Omega connection.
