Later that evening, Taylor finally checked her phone. There were dozens of missed calls—her mother, her father, even Amanda.
She opened none of them.
Instead, she leaned her head on Eli’s shoulder and exhaled the weight of years she had carried alone.
“I wasn’t cruel,” she whispered.
“No,” Eli said gently. “You were honest. And sometimes the truth is the only way to protect yourself.”
Taylor nodded.
She had not destroyed her family.
They had destroyed themselves long before her video ever played.
And for the first time in her life, she felt free.
Share this story if you believe no one deserves to be treated like they don’t matter.
See more on the next page
Advertisement
