Chapter 6: Unspoken Words
That evening, the garage was quiet again. Hank sat at the kitchen table, trying to clean a rusty carburetor, while Mia sat across from him with a pack of colored pencils and a pad of paper Sarah had brought over.
For a long time, the only sound was the scratch of pencils on paper and the soft ticking of the wall clock.
""My mom used to draw with me,"" Mia said softly, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
Hank stopped his work, looking up gently. ""Yeah? What did she like to draw?""
""Wildflowers,"" Mia said, a faint smile touching her lips. ""And sunflowers. She said sunflowers always turn toward the light, even on cloudy days."" Mia paused, her gaze dropping to her pink cast. ""After she got sick... Julian came. At first he was nice. He brought toys. But after Mom died, everything changed. He hated when I made noise. He hated when I drew.""
""Why did he hurt your arm, Mia?"" Hank asked gently, taking care not to push too hard.
Mia swallowed hard. ""I found a letter my mom wrote before she died. She left the house to me, not him. Julian found me reading it. He tried to grab it... and he twisted my arm until it popped."" Tears began to spill over her eyelashes. ""I dropped the letter and ran out the back door into the woods. I walked all night until I found the gas station.""
May you like
Hank felt a cold rage surge through his veins, but he kept his expression calm and steady for Mia. ""You were very brave, Mia. You saved yourself.""
""I hid the letter,"" she whispered, looking up. ""Under the floorboard in my old bedroom.""
