Chapter 23

I burst into our bedroom, still in the same emotional mess I was running all the way here, and somehow managed to get in and up here without alerting Yoonie or mother to my presence. A fire is coursing through my veins, yet my mind’s a blistering mess of utter chaos, and I can’t think or see straight. The pain is unbearable, and years’ worth of bottled-up feelings are spewing out of me like someone turned on a tap. I’m a volcano that finally erupted.

I’m breathing in short raspy gulps, wiping my snot and tear-drenched face with the back of my hand, yet more keeps coming, and I hiccup every few gasps. I rake my fingers through my hair, which is tied up in a messy bunny, yanking it down with my erratic movements and adding to the despairing image of myself—caked in dried blood, grime, and emotional ruin. Rubbing my fingers over my face and down my throat, I try to reel my mind back from its shattered pieces. My entire world has come tumbling down. What I always thought was a sol