Chapter 6 - LEAVING MY OWN HOUSEPolice advised us to separate safely.


Not confront.
An officer could meet us nearby.
Maya did not want uniformed officers entering yet.
Fine.
I packed one overnight bag.
Her medication.
Old phone.
Documents.
Laptop.
Dog tags remained around my neck.
Before leaving, I texted Victoria:
Jet lag. Maya’s not feeling well. Going to sleep. Please let yourselves out.
She replied:
WELCOME HOME, SWEETHEART. WE’LL TALK TOMORROW.
Julian:
Don’t let her poison the night.
I stared at the message.
Maya saw.
Her face closed.
I deleted nothing.
Screenshot.
Preserve.
We waited until the patio went quiet.
At 12:41 a.m., the downstairs alarm showed rear door closed.
Then front door.
I watched from the upstairs window as Victoria and Julian drove away.
Only then did we leave.
May you like
Maya walked through our hallway like a guest escaping someone else’s house.
That image still hurts.
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