Chapter 5 - DAWN OVER COLUMBUS
The sun rose over the Columbus skyline like a slow bleed of gold and amber through the smog. I walked out of the police precinct doors into the crisp autumn air, my backpack slung over one shoulder.
A black SUV idling by the curb flashed its headlights. Agent Vance stepped out and opened the passenger door. “Ready to see a lawyer who actually works for you, Emily?”
“More than ready,” I said.
For the first time in my life, I didn't look back at the sidewalk behind me. I didn't worry about making too much noise with my footsteps. I climbed into the back of the SUV, pulled my phone from my pocket, and opened my banking app.
The twenty-dollar bills in birthday cards, the hand-me-down coats, the cracked screens, the constant feeling of owing my existence to someone else’s leftovers—it was all gone. My mother’s frantic missed calls scrolled across my notification bar, followed by a text from an unsaved number: Please, Emily, talk to your father. We can fix this.
I blocked the number.
Then I blocked Ryan’s.
May you like
Then I blocked my mother’s.
It was the easiest thing I had ever done. The screen went clean, silent, and entirely my own.
