Shattered

Chapter 25: Peace

TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains mention of past abuse and drug use, please read carefully ❤️

Violet's POV:

"You were unsure which pain was worse- the shock of what happened or the ache for what never will." – Simon Von Boog.

Five years earlier...

"And... Here," mom said from behind me, uncovering my eyes and resting her chin on my shoulder. "I know it's small but... What do you think?"

I glanced around the apartment. She was right. It wasn't big, but I didn't care. It was our place. Just ours. The living room right in front of me was ours, the kitchen off to the left was ours, the hallway and whatever it led to was ours.

"There's a dishwasher," I said, walking into the kitchen, unable to stop the smile.

"Mhm," mom nodded.

I set my backpack down on the floor and went out of the kitchen, walking down the hall and pausing at the bathroom. I ran my hand along the door and my lips turned up more as I glanced back at my mom. "There's doors."

"All the privacy you ever want, my love," she said, a smile starting despite the tears filling up her eyes.

I almost laughed, just because the idea was always something I wanted but something so foreign. Doors and privacy... We weren't allowed that with my dad. There were no doors on the bathroom, definitely no doors on the bedrooms except his, and the windows were always blocked off. I ran further down the hall and paused at the two doors on either side of the hallway. I glanced back at mom. "There's two rooms?"

She nodded and smiled, following me down the hallway. "You get your own room."

"My own room?" I repeated. "With a door?"

"Mhm," she nodded, gesturing to the left. "Go ahead. That one's yours."

I felt hesitant to step into the room but eventually made it through the doorway. A window rested against the back wall, and opposite that wall was a closet so big I could walk inside it. A light hung in the middle of the room with a ceiling fan but I walked past it all until I reached the window that overlooked a street. It didn't seem like much but on the other side of the street was a park.

"It has a window," I said quietly, running my hand along the window sill.

"Windows we can open whenever we want," mom whispered from behind me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. "This new job I found is going to pay a lot more and then I'll be able to move us somewhere nicer."

"This new job," I said, glancing back at her. "Isn't there controversy around the company? I read it's people complaining it's not safe."

"It pays really well, my love," she said, squeezing me. "We need it."

"I can just go back to working and then we won't need-"

"No," she said firmly, the tears filling her eyes again, this time a couple of them spilling out. "No. You've had to do far too much for far too long. You're not working anywhere, you're going to do whatever you want to do. You're going to pursue hobbies or sit on the couch and watch TV or be rebellious and sneak out at night, but you are not going to work. Not right now. It's time for a break."

"What about your break?"

"Baby, letting my little girl be a kid for once is more than enough break for me," she said, kissing the side of my head and nodding outside. "I know it's no riverside but look at that view," she whispered, smiling at the window. I followed her train of sight, a smile tugging on my lips too. "Those big trees with the fall colors... It's so lovely. I know it's small here, but it's only temporary."