Page 82 of Monstrosity

"Innocent?" Tindra looks offended. "I'm twenty, not twelve."

"Still a baby," Everly declares. "Now come on, we've got two more rooms to pack."

The bedroom is both the easiest and hardest room to pack.

Easy because most of my clothes have already migrated to Rio's over the past weeks.

Hard because this is where the most memories live.

The bed where I cried myself to sleep after the divorce.

The dresser I bought with my first paycheck from the coffee shop.

The mirror where I gave myself pep talks every morning about starting over.

"Oh, what's this?" Meghan holds up a photo from my nightstand—me and my ex on our wedding day.

"Trash," I say immediately.

"You sure? No sentimental value?"

"The only value that has is reminding me how far I've come." I take the photo, studying it. The woman in the picture looks young, naive, trying so hard to be what someone else wanted. "I barely recognize her."

"Growth," Starla says approvingly. "You became who you were meant to be."

"Cheesy," Astrid comments. "But true."

I toss the photo in the trash bag without ceremony.

That life is over. Has been for years, really, but now it feels final.

By the time Rio texts that they're heading back, we've got everything packed and labeled properly.

The apartment is empty except for the furniture that came with it, looking bigger somehow without my life filling it up.

"Incoming," I announce, reading his text. "Apparently someone let them have unlimited ice cream."

"Amateur," Starla shakes her head. "Never give kids unsupervised sugar before moving day."

Sure enough, when they return, both girls are practically vibrating with energy. Rio at least has the grace to look sheepish.

"They said they only wanted small cones," he defends.

"Daddy let us get sundaes!" Cali announces, bouncing. "With extra everything!"

"Traitor," he mutters.

"And then we went to the bookstore," Florencia adds. "And the pet store, but just to look."

"Cali tried to convince me we needed a rabbit," Rio explains.

"His name would have been Professor Fluffington," Cali says seriously.

"Did you bring us any?" Everly asks.

"...maybe." He produces a bag from behind his back. "Meghan said you like cookie dough."

"Forgiven," she declares, making grabby hands.