Chapter 31 A New Beginning

• DONALD
• I woke to a silent house, the kind that meant Avala was at school. Her backpack wasn’t on the kitchen door hook, her sneakers gone from the mat. The clock showed past eight. My head pounded from last night’s whiskey and Tricia catching me at the bar. That lie about a senior colleague's birthday stung now, raw and real. I poured water into a glass with shaky hands, I'm thinking of how i'm going to fix the mess I created.
• Tricia sat on a sofa in the living room, holding a mug to her mouth, her hair is now loosed, there's no make-up on her face or nose ring unlike last night. She turned her gaze to focus on me the moment I sat beside her, I set my glass down and began rubbing my hands together. She knows too much now and is probably going to see me for the liar that I am.