Chapter Twenty-Five

Leslie had to cut her stay with Kyle short. She’d wanted to stay for a month before going to NYC, but given the news of her mother’s sickness, she couldn’t stay anymore. She had to be there for the surgery. When Shaun called her, he sounded agitated, claiming that their mother was distressed. “You’ve been away for two years, and she hasn’t seen you. You barely call, and she’s been worried.” “I’m sorry, Shaun…” she’d said. Shaun had exhaled. “Sorry that you haven’t been home or tried to reach out to your own parents. There’s no point in keeping up with the excuses.” “I’ll be home soon, I promise.” “And how long is soon?” “Tomorrow, I’ll be in NYC.” “Good. She doesn’t want to have the surgery until she sees you.” “I’ll be home tomorrow.” “I’m expecting you.” Shaun ended the call, the soft beeps leaving Leslie’s mind reeling for a couple of seconds. Leslie had exhaled. She couldn’t shake the blame off herself, and the only way she could make amends was to go home and see her par