Chapter 11

After winter set in, Dad sent me an email.He wrote very formally.Everything at home was fine, and Mom was in good health. My things hadn't been touched. My room was still kept as it was.Below that was a photo.The closet was full of new clothes, and there was a new computer on the desk."If you need anything, just say so."I didn't reply.Two days later, he sent another."Is it because we've always favored Lily?"I stared at that line, closed my laptop, and went to the surveying room.I didn't open it again until evening.He'd added a long paragraph.About what happened when I was nine—he'd asked Mom.That day, they'd thought I was at a friend's house. When they got home and found me sitting on the steps, he'd gotten angry first, asking why I hadn't gone to a neighbor's.Mom said I'd been wearing a coat, with a gift box on my knees.It was a birthday present I'd prepared for Lily.Dad wrote in the email:"That's something I've always remembered differently from you."I read it twice

Chapter 12

In spring, we started on the renovation plan for the old community center.The original entrance had four steps. Water pooled there when it rained, and elderly people had to hold the railing and walk slowly.We proposed three options.At the first residents' meeting, a woman in a wheelchair pointed at my drawing and asked me:"How much farther is it if you go around by the ramp?"I gave her the distance.She shook her head."Have you ever tried going through it in a wheelchair?"The next day, I borrowed a wheelchair and went along the route with a colleague.The corner was too narrow. The door was too heavy.When we got back, we redrew it.Around that time, I was so busy I didn't have time to check my blocked messages every day.Occasionally I'd think of Rowan—when I saw a similar car on the street, or when a café played a song I'd heard before.I still felt the ache.Once, I dreamed I was back at the engagement dinner. Everyone was laughing, and I couldn't stand up no matter how hard

Chapter 13

A month before the project ended, Mom asked if she could come visit.She wrote through Dad's email. She didn't buy tickets on her own, and she didn't ask me to pick them up at the station."If you'd rather not, we won't come."I left the email for two days.Then I replied with a time.Saturday afternoon, two to three.A café near the station.They arrived before I did.Mom draped her coat over the back of her chair, both hands around her cup. A paper bag sat in front of Dad. When he saw me, he stood up first, then sat back down.I took the seat across from them.Mom looked at me, and her eyes went red almost immediately."Is it hard here?""Sometimes.""You've lost weight.""My weight hasn't changed."She blinked, then looked down and touched the rim of her cup.In the past, when she said I'd lost weight, I'd go along with it—talk about being busy, not having time to eat—give her a chance to pile food on my plate and steer around the unpleasantness.This time, I didn't.Dad pushed the

Chapter 14

When the research project ended, I received an offer to stay on with the team.It wasn't Noah's decision alone.I submitted an updated portfolio, did an interview, and renegotiated my role and salary.On the day I signed, I read the contract twice.The housing section said graduate dorms would no longer be provided.I rented a small apartment in town.Second floor, a kitchen big enough for a dining table, and a window where my old models fit perfectly.On moving day, Noah drove me over in two trips.The last box was heavy. He asked what was in it."Books.""You brought this many with you?""Two more boxes got mailed later."He laughed a little and set the box by the wall.By the time we finished assembling the bookshelf, it was past lunch.He asked if I wanted to grab something at the corner."I think I want to be alone today.""Okay."He tightened the last screw and put his tools away."See you Monday."No follow-up questions, no disappointment on display.I walked him downstairs, the

All Chapters of They Voted I'd Beg. I Left.: Chapter 11 - Chapter 14

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14