Chapter 8 I'd been running my flower shop in Richmond for almost a month now . Peaceful mornings , quiet streets , the smell of fresh roses and lavender , this was the kind of life I'd always wanted but never had . Garrick and little Cici would drop by now and then . She'd run between the pots , giggling and brushing her tiny fingers over the petals like they were her friends . And Garrick , he always brought this calm , gentle energy with him . Unlike Finn , he didn't try to control the room the second he walked in . I thought I could stay invisible here . Just me , with my flowers , my peace . Then my phone rang . I saw the name and already felt my chest tighten , Dad . I answered with a small sigh . " Hey , Dad . " His voice came in sharp and annoyed , like usual . " What's going on with you and Finn ? He told me he hasn't heard from you in weeks . Jillian , you're a mother . You can't just play these childish games and disappear . " There it was . The lecture . Always for Finn's sake , never mine . I bit my tongue , then said calmly , " Don't worry , Dad . I'll call him . " I hung up before he could say anything else . I didn't have it in me to argue today . I stared at the phone for a moment , then hit Finn's name in my recent contacts . He picked up fast . His voice came out cold , sarcastic . " Well , look who remembered she owns a phone . Took you long enough . Where the hell have you been , Jillian ? " I kept my voice even . " Do you even care , Finn ? " He scoffed . " If I didn't care , would I have called your father ? " I let out a small laugh . " You keep lying to yourself if that helps you sleep . " And I hung up For a moment , I sat there in silence , my heart pounding . Maybe that was the first time I'd ever hung up on him . The silence after that felt … good . Strange , but good .