Page 119 of The Ruthless and the Strong

“Yeah?”

“I am so glad you’re back home.”

I smiled then, my first real smile all morning. “Me, too, Livie. Me, too.”

* * *

Two days later,I got a text from Max. A simple text that made me cry.

I’ll wait for you.

That was all. I didn’t text him back.

I didn’t even know what I was waiting for. Or why it was taking me so long to come to terms with this, but I wished I could just get over it.

I didn’t know how.

---