Chapter 42

Violet

I didn’t have to worry about sneaking downstairs to toy with the locks that night, because by the time Olive dropped me off, everyone in the house had gone to sleep.

Hours prior, I had sent Elijah a text message letting him know I wouldn’t be home until late, but he actually didn’t mind. I think he was elated to see me doing normal young adult things, rather than spending my afternoons baking by my lonesome, waiting for him to get home from work.

To keep up pretenses, we had to stop by Olive’s house to grab her plum-colored Porsche, but I didn’t mind the delay.

When I sank into bed late that night, a pleasant exhaustion settled over my shoulders and carried me into oblivion.

It wasn’t the best sleep I’d ever gotten, but it was also a far cry from the worst. There was minimal tossing and turning with a hint of night chills, both of which were forgotten when I slipped out of bed that morning.

Typically, I’d take two of my four pills at night. To say I felt different was an un