Chapter 7 - THE FIRST PROMISE HE BROKE
I packed my suitcase.
Not dramatically.
Not angrily.
Quietly.
I folded my clothes.
Closed the drawers.
And placed my mother's photograph inside the bag.
I had returned to Fishtown that morning to retrieve it.
I wasn't leaving her behind again.
When I reached the front hall, Cedric was waiting.
He looked at my suitcase.
"You're leaving."
"Yes."
He nodded.
"Where will you go?"
"Somewhere that isn't here."
His jaw tightened.
"You're in danger."
I looked at him.
"I've been in danger since I was nine."
He said nothing.
I continued.
"And you knew."
His eyes filled.
"I was trying to protect you."
I laughed bitterly.
"By controlling me?"
He looked away.
I swallowed.
"You told me you never promise what you can't deliver."
He nodded.
"Yes."
"Then don't promise safety while keeping me in the dark."
He closed his eyes.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Cedric moved his wheelchair aside.
The front doors opened.
"You're free to go."
I stared.
He looked up.
"I won't stop you."
My throat tightened.
"Why?"
His voice broke.
"Because keeping you here against your will would make me no better than the men we're trying to expose."
May you like
I walked out.
And for the first time since entering the mansion, I believed him.
