dr

ied as I turned

ed in the space, c

r dripping and eyes flashing. Without any warning, I gasped. Those brig

ed, Raven looked more a

de our relationship so hard in the

e?" she demanded, attitu

thing else. Raven was not her mother. They were two c

ed. "What do you want that you don't ha

r discomfort. Avoiding my eyes, she snatched her towe

Either straighten up or face the

er hair, acting as if phones and cars weren't th

ready gotten enough of a rise out of me. Compl

es. There was one more thing I

o someone? I'll set yo

ers tensed. "What, like

en drier. "Just so

d meds. I'm

t closer to my weak

realized I'd been doing that for the whole last year.

omorrow is a new week, all right? It's a

ack to me, her h

d, taking her things an

uld be. There was no way of telling whether

I ran my fingers down my ch

I left the pool room and weaved my way back to my office. The downstair

But try as hard as I might, the words on the computer screen didn't make

Da

like than I had originally thought. Raven was the spitting image of her m

but at least I didn't have any regrets. We'd had a good marriage. I'd loved her as much as any man could love a woman. Though

ica's mental illnesses. Anxiety. Depression. She took medication

her life. In the end, though, it had been a car crash that had done it, sudden and quick, whi

tually, ten years crept by. Now Raven was almost an adult, preparing t

I'd th

s. So why hadn't I thought to

as it. Didn't want to admit that mayb

ed to be a place of focus and productivity. I'd set it up so I could be at home more often. I

bullshit. If Raven needed to see a spe

mised myself. I'll giv

. This wasn't something I could deal with on my own. I was busy. An entir

let others sway you. That was my way of life, the one I'd taught to my

no other option. T