“And when did you find out about this ‘retreat’?”
“Last week. We waited to tell you until it was all confirmed. You didn’t have anything planned, right?”
“I had a meeting on Friday…”
“Oh, we’ll be back way before then. It’s just a few days! You won’t even have time to miss us!”
I smiled. Barely. Looked at the suitcase. My suitcase. Packed without me.
And somewhere deep inside, I felt the lies.
They’re hiding something. And it has nothing to do with rest.
***
The next morning, we set off. No one asked if I was comfortable. If I wanted to stop. Maybe I needed a moment to think.
Janelle handed me some lavender tea. Daniel turned on jazz. Then… headphones, tucking them into my ears.
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