Chapter 10 - They Exposed Their Own
That night, Cerise returned to her office and looked at her grandmother’s flag.
The room was quiet.
No family portrait.
No burning money.
No beer on the table.
No one asking her to betray her oath for blood.
Her phone buzzed.
A message from Luke.
I testified today. Told the truth about Dad’s threat. I know that doesn’t fix it. Just wanted you to know.
Cerise read it.
Then set the phone down.
She did not reply immediately.
Boundaries did not need to be dramatic to be real.
After a minute, she typed:
Keep telling it.
That was all.
Enough.
Outside the window, Washington lights moved beneath the dark sky.
May you like
Inside, Cerise stood alone with the flag, the silence, and the strange peace of knowing that her family had once threatened to expose her wounds.
Instead, they exposed their own.
