Chapter 34

The garden has always been the only place I felt safe. At peace. Yet right now, it made me feel empty and misplaced. It made me feel like I did not belong in the pack.

I hoped for a temporary escape from the weight of my emotions. I was lost in my thoughts, thinking through all that had happened and just how unlucky I was. It wasn’t going to take long till my stepmother called for me. Once news about my quitting reached her, she'd even be storming fire to get to me. There was no telling what she would do, but my mind was already made up.

In my mind I knew that my stepmother would be angry. She had gotten me this job alongside making sure that I was also working the portions of my step sisters. The money that I turned in always went to expenses in the house and shopping. It is what we used to get by.

I still remember the day when she came into our house. I still remember how much I visited my father wondering how you could have moved on so quickly after my mother's death. I was just