Page 35 of Isolation

Raven mimics my neutral tone.

“I know that we have to live together, and I do want to find a middle ground. I can acknowledge how much you are doing for the whole family. Others might take that for granted, but I appreciate it. I just don’t know how to get past what happened, nor do I trust that it won’t happen again,” she says pointedly. “I can’t control how I feel. A feeling is not a choice. But my actions are my choices.”

I hold my breath as I wait for Raven to continue.

“I-I need control over my life and over my body. I need to feel safe, I need you to respect me, and I need to be able to trust you. If you can give me those things, I’ll meet you halfway. I’ll try harder not to reject you, and we can have a cordial friendship. I want peace, but I can’t agree to any more than that.”

I nod. It’s not enough, but it’s a start. I can convince her of more if she is not running away from me.

We will get there eventually.

Raven stares ahead, then moves her gaze from the table back to me. Without saying another word, she walks towards the table.

As soon as the shock wears off from her sudden movement, I follow to pull out her chair and watch in shock as Raven settles in.

Just like that.

No arguments.

She said she wants peace, and she is making a peace offering.

Walking around the table, I sit down across from her. She starts opening the boxes of desserts to sort through them as if we did not just discuss life-altering plans.

CHAPTER 4

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Raven

It’s only a little past dawn. I kept having nightmares that kept me up.

Since I couldn’t sleep, I am trying to be productive by making breakfast for the family. It’s a difficult feat considering my limited expertise in the kitchen.

Ever since Tessa receded, Mia and Uncle Reese have been a little withdrawn, staying more or less out of sight. The members outside of the family feel uncomfortable with the on-goings of the private family matters and have been keeping to themselves as well.

I am hoping that this breakfast will allow everyone to come back together.

Scrounging through the kitchen, I find bread, fruits, yogurt, and cereal. I am hoping it’s enough to feed ten people. As I am working on setting up the table, I find Alexa charging towards me with Milo’s other business partners in tow.

“Hi, Ms. Parisian fancy pants!”

“Good Morning,” I give Alexa a genuine smile. “How are you?”

“Jaci has finally finished unpacking,” she smiles back.

Milo’s business partners, Brandon, Jaci, and Alexa, recently moved into the split-level.

With everything going on, their office is shut down. Without their in-house staff, they have to be all hands on deck and work around the clock.

It’s difficult to do so without being physically together. Milo already uses the split-level as his home office. It’s also set up as its own private apartment.

Those three practically lived in the split-level back in the day. I used to be close to all of them, and they are close to the whole family. All in all, it made sense for them to move in.

“Hey, girl, hey,” Jaci sings.

“Rave,” Brandon is the next to come up. “Are you feeling any better today?”

“I am healing,” I give all of them a reassuring smile.