Lilian's POV
The moment that voice interrupted our conversation, my brother's tone shifted completely. "Lilian, I have to go right now. Something urgent came up and I'll call you back."
The line went dead before I could even ask him to come get me.
I wrapped my arms around myself as I gazed up at the dark evening sky, truly understanding what it meant to have nowhere to turn for the first time in my life.
Sitting on those freezing concrete steps, I felt utterly abandoned with no clue where to go next.
Alesha crossed my mind briefly, but I remembered her morning message about visiting her mother out of town and not returning for days.
The evening breeze cut through my clothes, yet the emptiness inside felt far more brutal than any physical cold.
