The words hung in the air, ugly and accusatory and so far from the gentle, kind Maya that everyone knew that for a moment, no one seemed to know how to respond.
Lydia stood slowly, her expression a mixture of disappointment and heartbreak. "I don't know who you are right now, Maya. This isn't the daughter I raised."
"Maybe it is," Maya shot back. "Maybe this is the daughter who's been quietly suffering for three years while everyone doted on her broken sister. Maybe this is what happens when you push someone aside for long enough, they finally snap."
She turned toward the door, needing to escape the judging eyes and the heavy silence that had fallen over the study.
"Maya, wait....." Ethan called after her.
"Don't," Maya said without turning around. "Just... don't. I need to be alone. I need to not think about Dakota for five minutes. I need to remember what it felt like when tonight was still about me."
